/' 


'FAMILIAR  LETTERS  OF  JOHN  ADAMS 
AND   HIS  WIFE   ABIGAIL   ADAMS, 
DURING  THE  REVOLUTION. 


MEMOIR  OF   MRS.  ADAMS. 


BY 


CHARLES    FRANCIS    ADAMS. 


NEW  YORK: 
PUBLISHED   BY   KURD   AND   HOUGHTON. 


1876. 


i 


RE   s;e 


Copyright,  1875, 
By  CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS. 


RIVERSIDE,    CAMBRIDGK  : 

STEREOTYPED     AND     PRINTED     BT 
H.   0.   HOUGHTON   AND   COMPANY. 


PEEFAOE. 


THIRTY-FIVE  years  ago  a  collection  of  letters 
written  during  the  period  of  the  Revolution  and 
later,  by  John  Adams  and  his  wife,  Abigail  Adams, 
came  into  my  hands.  They  interested  me  so  much 
that  I  thought  they  might  possibly  interest  others 
also,  especially  the  growing  generations  not  familiar 
with  the  history  of  the  persons  and  events  connected 
with  the  great  struggle.  The  result  was  an  experi 
ment  in  publication,  first,  of  a  selection  from  the 
Letters  of  Mrs.  Adams  addressed  to  her  husband; 
and,  at  a  later  moment,  of  a  selection  from  his  re 
plies.  The  first  series  proved  so  acceptable  to  the 
public  that  it  ran  through  four  large  editions  in  eight 
years.  The  second,  though  slower  of  sale,  has  like 
wise  been  long  since  exhausted.  Applications  have 
been  made  to  me  from  time  to  time  for  information 
where  copies  of  either  might  be  had,  to  which  I  could 
give  no  satisfactory  answer.  I  purchased  one  copy, 
whilst  residing  in  London  several  years  ago,  which 
I  found  by  chance  advertised  in  a  sale  catalogue  of 
old  books  in  that  city.  I  know  not  now  where  I 
could  get  another. 

Reflecting  on   these  circumstances,  in  connection 
with  the  approaching  celebration  of  the   Centenary 


1 


iv  PREFACE. 

year  of  the  national  existence,  it  occurred  to  me  that  a 
reproduction  of  some  portion  of  the  papers,  with  such 
additions  as  could  be  made  from  letters  not  then  in 
cluded,  might  not  prove  unacceptable  now.  To  that 
end  I  have  ventured  to  embrace,  in  a  single  volume, 
so  much  of  the  correspondence  that  took  place  be 
tween  these  persons  as  was  written  during  the  period 
of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  terminating  with 
the  signature  of  the  preliminary  articles  of  the  great 
Treaty  which  insured  pacification  and  independence 
to  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

The  chief  alteration  made  in  the  mode  of  publica 
tion  will  be  perceived  at  once.  Instead  ol  printing 
the  letters  of  the  respective  parties  in  separate  vol 
umes,  it  has  now  been  deemed  more  judicious  to  col 
lect  them  together  and  arrange  them  in  the  precise 
order  of  their  respective  dates,  to  the  end  that  the 
references  to  events  or  sentiments  constantly  made 
on  the  one  side  or  the  other  may  be  more  readily 
gathered  and  understood.  This  will  show  more  dis 
tinctly  the  true  shape  of  familiar  letters  which  prop 
erly  belongs  to  them.  It  is  not  likely  that  either 
correspondent,  in  writing  them,  ever  dreamed  that 
they  might  ultimately  be  shown  to  the  world,  and 
perhaps  transmitted  to  the  latest  posterity.  May  I 
be  permitted  to  add  an  humble  opinion  that  it  is 
this  feature  in  them  which  constitutes  their  chief 
attraction  ? 

CHARLES  FRANCIS   ADAMS. 


MEMOIR. 


THE  memorials  of  that  generation  by  whose  efforts  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  United  States  was  achieved  are  in  great  abun 
dance.  There  is  hardly  an  event  of  importance,  from  the  year 
1765  to  the  date  of  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  in  September,  1783,  which  has  not  been  recorded, 
either  by  the  industry  of  actors  upon  the  scene  or  by  the 
indefatigable  labors  of  a  succeeding  class  of  students.  These 
persons  have  devoted  themselves,  with  a  highly  commendable 
zeal,  to  the  investigation  of  all  particulars,  even  the  most  mi 
nute,  that  relate  to  this  interesting  period.  The  individuals 
called  to  appear  most  conspicuously  in  the  Revolution  have  many 
of  them  left  voluminous  collections  of  papers,  which,  as  time 
passes,  find  their  way  to  the  light  by  publication,  and  furnish 
important  illustrations  of  the  feelings  and  motives  under  which 
the  contest  was  carried  on.  The  actors  are  thus  made  to  stand 
in  bold  relief  before  us.  We  not  only  see  the  public  record, 
but  the  private  commentary  also  ;  and  these,  taken  in  connec 
tion  with  the  contemporaneous  histories,  all  of  which,  however 
defective  in  philosophical  analysis,  are  invaluable  depositories  of 
facts  related  by  living  witnesses,  will  serve  to  transmit  to  pos 
terity  the  details  for  a  narration  in  as  complete  a  form  as  will 
in  all  probability  ever  be  attained  by  the  imperfect  faculties  of 
man. 

Admitting  these  observations  to  be  true,  there  is,  neverthe 
less,  a  distinction  to  be  drawn  between  the  materials  for  a  his 
tory  of  action  and  those  for  one  of  feeling  ;  between  the  labors 
of  men  aiming  at  distinction  among  their  fellow-beings,  and 
the  private,  familiar  sentiments  that  run  into  the  texture  of 
the  social  system,  without  remark  or  the  hope  of  observation. 
Here  it  is  that  something  like  a  void  in  our  annals  appears 
still  to  exist.  Our  history  is  for  the  most  part  wrapped  up  in 
the  forms  of  office.  Til  e  great  men  of  the  Revolution,  in  the 


vi  MEMOIR. 

eyes  of  posterity,  are  many  of  them  like  heroes  of  a  mytholog 
ical  age.  They  are  seen,  chiefly,  when  conscious  that  they 
are  upon  a  theatre,  where  individual  sentiment  must  be  some 
times  disguised,  and  often  sacrificed,  for  the  public  good. 
Statesmen  and  Generals  rarely  say  all  they  think  or  feel. 
The  consequence  is  that,  in  the  papers  which  come  from  them, 
they  are  made  to  assume  a  uniform  of  grave  hue,  which,  though 
it  doubtless  exalts  the  opinion  entertained  of  their  perfections, 
somewhat  diminishes  the  interest  with  which  later  generations 
scan  their  character.  Students  of  human  nature  seek  for  ex 
amples  of  man  under  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  trial ;  man 
as  he  is,  not  as  he  would  appear ;  but  there  are  many  reasons 
why  they  may  be  often  baffled  in  the  search.  We  look  for  the 
workings  of  the  heart,  when  those  of  the  head  alone  are  pre 
sented  to  us.  We  watcn  the  emotions  of  the  spirit,  and  yet 
find  clear  traces  only  of  the  working  of  the  intellect.  The 
solitary  meditation,  the  confidential  whisper  to  a  friend,  never 
meant  to  reach  the  ear  of  the  multitude,  the  secret  wishes,  not 
blazoned  forth  to  catch  applause,  the  fluctuations  between  fear 
and  hope  that  most  betray  the  springs  of  action,  —  these  are 
the  guides  to  character,  which  most  frequently  vanish  with  the 
moment  that  called  them  forth,  and  leave  nothing  to  posterity 
but  those  coarser  elements  for  judgment  that  are  found  in 
elaborated  results. 

There  is,  however,  still  another  element  which  is  not  infre 
quently  lost  sight  of.  It  is  of  great  importance,  not  only  to  un 
derstand  the  nature  of  the  superiority  of  the  individuals  who 
have  made  themselves  a  name  above  their  fellow-beings,  but  to 
estimate  the  degree  in  which  the  excellence  for  which  they  were 
distinguished  was  shared  by  those  among  whom  they  lived.  In 
attention  to  this  duty  might  present  Patrick  Henry  and  James 
Otis,  Washington,  Jefferson,  and  Samuel  Adams,  as  the  causes 
of  the  American  Revolution,  which  they  were  not.  There  was 
a  moral  principle  in  the  field,  to  the  power  of  which  a  great 
majority  of  the  whole  population  of  the  colonies,  whether  male 
or  female,  old  or  young,  had  been  long  and  habitually  trained 
to  do  homage.  The  individuals  named,  with  the  rest  of  their 
celebrated  associates,  who  best  represented  that  moral  principle 
before  the  world,  were  not  the  originators,  but  the  spokesmen,  of 
the  general  opinion,  and  instruments  for  its  adaptation  to  ex 
isting  events.  Whether  fighting  in  the  field  or  deliberating  in 
the  Senate,  their  strength  as  against  Great  Britain  was  not 


MEMOIR.  vh 

that  of  numbers,  nor  of  wealth,  nor  of  genius  ;  but  it  drew  its 
nourishment  from  the  sentiment  that  pervaded  the  dwellings  of 
the  entire  population. 

How  much  this  home  sentiment  did  then,  and  does  ever,  de 
pend  upon  the  character  of  the  female  portion  of  the  people,* 
will  be  too  readily  understood  by  all  to  require  explanation. 
The  domestic  hearth  is  the  first  of  schools,  and  the  best  of  lec 
ture-rooms  ;  for  there  the  heart  will  cooperate  with  the  mind, 
the  affections  with  the  reasoning  power.  And  this  is  the  scene 
for  the  almost  exclusive  sway  of  the  weaker  sex.  Yet,  great 
as  the  influence  thus  exercised  undoubtedly  is,  it  escapes  ob 
servation  in  such  a  manner  that  history  rarely  takes  much 
account  of  it.  The  maxims  of  religion,  faith,  hope,  and  charity, 
are  not  passed  through  the  alembic  of  logical  proof  before  they 
are  admitted  into  the  daily  practice  of  women.  They  go  at 
once  into  the  teachings  of  infancy,  and  thus  form  the  only  high 
and  pure  motives  of  which  matured  manhood  can,  in  its  subse 
quent  action,  ever  boast.  Neither,  when  the  stamp  of  duty  is 
to  be  struck  in  the  young  mind,  is  there  commonly  so  much  of 
alloy  in  the  female  heart  as  with  men,  with  which  the  genuine 
metal  may  be  fused,  and  the  face  of  the  coin  made  dim.  There 
is  Lot  so  much  room  for  the  doctrines  of  expediency,  and  the 
promptings  of  private  interest,  to  compromise  the  force  of  pub 
lic  example.  In  every  instance  of  domestic  convulsions,  and 
when  the  priming-hook  is  deserted  for  the  sword  and  musket, 
the  sacrifice  of  feelings  made  by  the  female  sex  is  unmixed 
with  2,  hope  of  worldly  compensation.  With  them  there  is  no 
ambition  to  gratify,  no  fame  to  be  gained  by  the  simply  nega 
tive  virtue  of  privations  suffered  in  silence.  There  is  no  action 
to  drovn  in  its  noise  and  bustle  a  full  sense  of  the  pain  that 
must  inevitably  attend  it.  The  lot  of  woman,  in  times  of 
trouble,  is  to  be  a  passive  spectator  of  events  which  she  can 
scarcely  hope  to  make  subservient  to  her  own  fame,  or  indeed 
to  control  in  any  way. 

If  it  were  possible  to  get  at  the  expression  of  feelings  by 
women  in  the  heart  of  a  community,  at  a  moment  of  extraordi 
nary  trial,  recorded  in  a  shape  evidently  designed  to  be  secret 
and  confidential,  this  would  seem  to  present  the  surest  and  most 
unfailing  index  to  its  general  character.  Hitherto  we  have  not 
gathered  much  of  this  material  in  the  United  States.  The  dis 
persion  of  families,  so  common  in  America,  the  consequent 
lestructior  of  private  papers,  the  defective  nature  of  female 


viii  MEMOIR. 

education  before  the  Revolution,  the  difficulty  and  danger  of 
free  communication,  and  the  engrossing  character,  to  the  men, 
of  public,  and  to  the  women,  of  domestic  cares,  have  all  con 
tributed  to  cut  short,  if  not  completely  to  destroy,  the  sources 
of  information.  It  has  been  truly  remarked  that  u  instances  of 
patience,  perseverance,  fortitude,  magnanimity,  courage,  human 
ity,  and  tenderness,  which  would  have  graced  the  Roman  char 
acter,  were  known  only  to  those  who  were  themselves  the  act 
ors,  and  whose  modesty  could  not  suffer  them  to  blazon  abroad 
their  own  fame."  The  heroism  of  the  females  of  the  Revolu 
tion  has  gone  from  memory  with  the  generation  that  witnessed 
it,  and  nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  remains  upon  the  ear  of  the 
young  of  the  present  day  but  the  faint  echo  of  an  expiring 
general  tradition.  There  is,  moreover,  very  little  knowledge 
remaining  to  us  of  the  domestic  manners  of  the  last  century, 
when,  with  more  of  admitted  distinctions  than  at  present,  there 
was  more  of  general  equality ;  very  little  of  the  state  of  social 
feeling,  or  of  that  simplicity  of  intercourse,  which,  in  colonial 
times,  constituted  in  New  England  as  near  an  approach  to  the 
successful  exemplification  of  the  democratic  theory  as  the  irreg- 
'ularity  in  the  natural  gifts  of  men  will,  in  all  probability,  ever 
practically  allow.  / 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  present  volume  to  contribute  some 
thing  to  the  supply  of  this  deficiency,  by  giving  to  tradition  a 
form  partially  palpable.  The  present  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
attempt,  in  the  United  States,  to  lay  before  the  public  a  series 
of  private  letters,  written  without  the  remotest  idea  of  publica 
tion,  by  a  woman,  to  her  husband.  Their  greatest  value  con 
sists  in  the  fact,  susceptible  of  no  misconception,  that  they  fur 
nish  an  exact  transcript  of  the  feelings  of  the  writer,  in  times  of 
no  ordinary  trial.  Independently  of  this,  the  variety  of  scenes 
in  which  she  wrote,  and  the  opportunities  furnished  for  observa 
tion  in  the  situations  in  which  she  was  placed  by  the  eievation 
of  her  husband  to  high  official  positions  in  the  country,  may 
contribute  to  sustain  the  interest  with  which  they  will  be  read. 
The  undertaking  is,  nevertheless,  too  novel  not  to  inspire  the 
editor  with  some  doubt  of  its  success,  particularly  as  it  brings 
forward  to  public  notice  a  person  who  has  now  been  long  re 
moved  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  of  whom,  it  is  not  unrea 
sonable  to  suppose,  the  present  generation  of  readers  have 
neither  personal  knowledge  nor  recollection.  For  the  sake  of 
facilitating  their  progress,  and  explaining  the  allusions  to  per-. 


MEMOIR.  IX 

sons    and  objects    very  frequently    occurring,    it    may  not   be 
deemed  improper  here  to  premise  some  account  of  her  life. 

There  were  few  persons  of  her  day  and  generation  who  de 
rived  their  origin,  or  imbibed  their  character,  more  exclusively 
from  the  genuine  stock  of  the  Massachusetts  Puritan  settlers 
than  Abigail  Smith.  Her  father,  the  Reverend  William  Smith, 
was  the  settled  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Wey- 
mouth,  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  until  his  death.  Her 
mother,  Elizabeth  Quincy,  was  the  granddaughter  of  the  Rev 
erend  John  Norton,  long  the  pastor  of  a  church  of  the  same 
denomination  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Hingham,  and  the 
nephew  of  John  Norton,  well  known  in  the  annals  of  the  col 
ony.1  Her  maternal  grand-father,  John  Quincy,  was  the  grand 
son  of  Thomas  Shepard,  minister  of  Charlestown,  distinguished 
in  his  day,  and  the  son  of  the  more  distinguished  Thomas 
Shepard  of  Cambridge,  whose  name  still  lives  in  one  of  the 
Churches  of  that  town.  These  are  persons  whose  merits  may 
be  found  fully  recorded  in  the  pages  of  Mather  and  of 
Neal.  They  were  among  the  most  noted  of  the  most  re 
puted  class  of  their  day.  In  a  colony  founded  so  exclusively 
•upon  motives  of  religious  zeal  as  Massachusetts  was,  it  neces 
sarily  followed  that  the  ordinary  distinctions  of  society  were  in 
a  great  degree  subverted,  and  that  the  leaders  of  the  church, 
though  without  worldly  possessions  to  boast  of,  were  the  most 
in  honor  everywhere.  Education  was  promoted  only  as  it  was 
subsidiary  to  the  great  end  of  studying  or  expounding  the 
Scriptures  ;  and  whatever  of  advance  made  in  the  intellect 
ual  pursuits  of  society,  was  rather  the  incidental  than  the 
direct  result  of  studies  necessary  to  fit  men  for  a  holy  calling. 
Hence  it  was  that  the  higher  departments  of  knowledge  were 
entered  almost  exclusively  by  the  clergy.  Classical  learning 
was  a  natural  though  indirect  consequence  of  the  acquisition  of 
those  languages  in  which  the  New  Testament  and  the  Fathers 
were  to  be  studied ;  and  dialectics  formed  the  armor  of  which 
men  were  compelled  to  learn  the  use,  as  a  preparation  for  the 
wars  of  religious  controversy.  The  mastery  of  these  gave 
power  and  authority  to  their  possessors.  They,  by  a  very  nat 
ural  transition^  passed  from  being  the  guides  of  religious  faith 
to  their  fellow-men,  to  be  guardians  of  education.  To  them,  as 
the  fountains  of  knowledge,  and  possessing  the  gifts  most  prized 
in  the  community,  all  other  ranks  in  society  cheerfully  gave 
1  Hutchinson,  Vol.  I.  pp.  220  et  seq. 


x  .  MEMOIR. 

place.  If  a  festive  entertainment  was  meditated,  the  minister 
was  sure  to  be  first  on  the  list  of  those  to  be  invited,  and  to 
be  placed  at  table.  If  any  assembly  of  citizens  was  held,  he 
must  be  there  to  open  the  business  with  prayer.  If  a  political 
measure  was  in  agitation,  he  was  among  the  first  whose  opinion 
was  to  be  consulted.  Even  the  civil  rights  of  the  other  citizens 
for  a  long  time  depended,  in  some  degree,  upon  his  good  word ; 
and  after  this  rigid  rule  was  laid  aside,  he  yet  continued,  in  the 
absence  of  technical  law  and  lawyers,  to  be  the  arbiter  and  the 
judge  in  the  differences  between  his  fellow-men.  He  was  not  in 
frequently  the  family  physician.  The  great  object  of  instruction 
being  religious,  the  pare  of  the  young  was  also  in  his  hands. 
The  records  of  Harvard  University,  the  child  and  darling  of  Pu 
ritan  affections,  show  that  of  all  the  presiding  officers,  during  the 
century  and  a  half  of  colonial  days,  but  two  were  laymen,  and 
not  ministers  of  the  prevailing  denomination  ;  and  that  of  all 
who  in  the  early  times  availed  themselves  of  such  advantages 
as  this  institution  could  then  offer,  nearly  half  the  number  did 
so  for  the  sake  of  devoting  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
gospel. 

But  the  prevailing  notion  of  the  purpose  of  education  was* 
attended  with  one  remarkable  consequence.  The  cultivation 
of  the  female  mind  was  regarded  with  utter  indifference.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  the  early  example  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and 
the  difficulties  in  which  the  public  exercise  of  her  gifts  involved 
the  colony,  had  established  in  the  public  mind  a  conviction  of 
the  danger  that  may  attend  the  meddling  of  women  with  ab 
struse  points  of  doctrine  ;  and  these,  however  they  might  con 
found  the  strongest  intellect,  were  nevertheless  the  favorite 
topics  of  thought  and  discussion  in  that  generation.  Waving 
a  decision  upon  this,  it  may  very  safely  be  assumed,  not  only 
that  there  was  very  little  attention  given  to  the  education  of 
women,  but  that,  as  Mrs.  Adams,  in  one  of  her  letters,  says, 
"  it  was  fashionable  to  ridicule  female  learning."  The  only 
chance  for  much  intellectual  improvement  in  the  female  sex 
was  to  be  found  in  the  families  of  that  which  was  the  educated 
class,  and  in  occasional  intercourse  with  the  learned  of  their 
day.  Whatever  of  useful  instruction  was  received  in  the  prac 
tical  conduct  of  life  came  from  maternal  lips  ;  and  what  of 
further  mental  development,  depended  more  upon  the  eagerness 
with  which  the  casual  teachings  of  daily  conversation  were 
treasured  up,  than  upon  any  labor  expended  purposely  to  pro 
mote  it. 


MEMOIR.  XI 

Abigail  Smith  was  the  second  of  three  daughters.  Her 
father,  as  has  been  already  mentioned,  was  the  minister  of  a 
small  Congregational  Church  in  the  town  of  Weymouth,  during 
the  middle  of  the  last  century.  She  was  born  in  that  town,  on 
the  llth  of  November,  1744,  O.  S.  In  her  neighborhood  there 
were  not  many  advantages  of  instruction  to  be  found ;  and  even 
in  Boston,  the  small  metropolis  nearest  at  hand,  for  reasons 
already  stated,  the  list  of  accomplishments  within  the  reach  of 
females  was  probably  very  short.  She  did  not  enjoy  an  oppor 
tunity  to  acquire  even  such  as  there  might  have  been,  for  the 
delicate  state  of  her  health  forbade  the  idea  of  sending  her 
away  from  home  to  obtain  them.  In  a  letter  written  in  1817, 
the  year  before  her  death,  speaking  of  her  own  deficiencies,  she 
says,  "  My  early  education  did  not  partake  of  the  abundant 
opportunities  which  the  present  days  offer,  and  which  even  our 
common  country  schools  now  afford.  /  never  was  sent  to  any 
school.  I  was  always  sick.  Female  education,  in  the  best  fam* 
ilies,  went  no  further  than  writing  and  arithmetic  ;  in  some  few 
and  rare  instances,  music  and  dancing."  Hence  it  is  not  uit- 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  knowledge  gained  by  her  was 
rather  the  result  of  the  society  into  which  she  was  thrown,  than 
of  any  elaborate  instruction. 

This  fact,  that  the  author  of  the  letters  in  the  present  volume 
never  went  to  any  school,  is  a  very  important  one  to  a  proper 
estimate  of  her  character.  For,  whatever  may  be  the  decision 
of  the  long-vexed  question  between  the  advantages  of  public  and 
those  of  private  education,  few  persons  will  deny  that  they 
produce  marked  differences  in  the  formation  of  character.  Se 
clusion  from  companions  of  the  same  age,  at  any  time  of  life,  is 
calculated  to  develop  the  imaginative  faculty  at  the  expense 
of  the  judgment;  but  especially  in  youth,  when  the  most  du 
rable  impressions  are  making.  The  ordinary  consequence,  in 
females  of  a  meditative  turn  of  mind,  is  the  indulgence  of  ro 
mantic  and  exaggerated  sentiments  drawn  from  books,  which, 
if  subjected  to  the  ordinary  routine  of  schools,  are  worn  out 
by  the  attrition  of  social  intercourse.  These  ideas,  formed 
in  solitude,  in  early  life,  often,  though  not  always,  remain  in 
the  mind,  even  after  the  realities  of  the  world  surround  those 
who  hold  them,  and  counteract  the  tendency  of  their  conclu 
sions.  They  are  constantly  visible  in  the  letters  of  this  volume, 
even  in  the  midst  of  the  severest  trials.  They  form  what  may 
be  considered  the  romantic  turn  of  the  author's  mind ;  but  in 


xii  MEMOIR. 

her  case  they  were  so  far  modified  by  a  great  admixture  of 
religious  principle  and  by  natural  good  sense,  as  to  be  of  emi 
nent  service  in  sustaining  her  through  the  painful  situations 
in  which  she  was  placed,  instead  of  nursing  that  species  of 
sickly  sensibility  which  too  frequently,  in  similar  circumstances, 
impairs,  if  it  docs  not  destroy,  the  power  of  practical  useful 
ness. 

At  Mount  Woilaston,  a  part  of  Braintree,  the  town  next 
adjoining  Weymouth,  lived  Colonel  John  Quincy,  her  grand 
father  on  her  mother's  side,  and  a  gentleman  who  for  very  many 
years  enjoyed,  in  various  official  situations,  much  of  the  confi 
dence  of  the  Province.  At  his  house,  and  under  the  instruction 
of  his  wife,  her  grandmother,  she  appears  to  have  imbibed  most 
of  the  lessons  which  made  the  deepest  impression  upon  her 
mind.  Of  this  lady,  the  daughter  of  the  Reverend  John  Nor 
ton,  nothing  is  now  known  but  what  the  frequent  and  cheerful 
acknowledgment  of  her  merit,  by  her  disciple,  tells  us.  "  I  have 
not  forgotten,"  says  the  latter  to  her  own  daughter,  in  the  year 
1795,  "the  excellent  lessons  which  I  received  from  my  grand 
mother,  at  a  very  early  period  of  life.  I  frequently  think  they 
made  a  more  durable  impression  upon  my  mind  than  those  which 
I  received  from  my  own  parents.  Whether  it  was  owing  to  the 
happy  method  of  mixing  instruction  and  amusement  together, 
or  from  an  inflexible  adherence  to  certain  principles,  the  utility 
of  which  I  could  not  but  see  and  approve  when  a  child,  I  know 
.not;  but  maturer  years  have  rendered  them  oracles  of  wisdom 
to  me.  I  love  and  revere  her  memory ;  her  lively,  cheerful 
disposition  animated  all  around  her,  whilst  she  edified  all  by 
lier  unaffected  piety.  This  tribute  is  due  to  the  memory  of 
those  virtues  the  sweet  remembrance  of  which  will  flourish, 
though  she  has  long  slept  with  her  ancestors."  Again,  in  an- 
, other  letter  to  the  same  person,  in  1808,  she  says,  "  I  cherish  her 
memory  with  holy  veneration,  whose  maxims  I  have  treasured 
up,  whose  virtues  live  in  my  remembrance  ;  happy  if  I  could 
•say  they  have  been  transplanted  into  my  life." 

But  though  her  early  years  were  spent  in  a  spot  of  so  great 
seclusion  as  her  grandfather's  house  must  then  have  been,  it 
does  not  appear  that  she  remained  wholly  unacquainted  with 
young  persons  of  her  own  sex  and  age.  She  had  relations  and 
connections,  both  on  the  father's  and  the  mother's  side;  and 
with  these  she  was  upon  as  intimate  terms  as  circumstances 
would  allow.  The  distance  between  the  homes  of  the  young 


... 

MEMOIR.  Xiil 

people  was,  however,  too  great,  and  the  means  of  their  parents 
too  narrow,  to  admit  of  very  frequent  personal  intercourse  ;  the 
substitute  for  which  was  a  rapid  interchange  of  written  commu 
nications.  The  letter-writing  propensity  manifested  itself  early 
in  this  youthful  circle.  A  considerable  number  of  the  epistles 
of  her  correspondents  have  been  preserved  among  the  papers  of 
Mrs.  Adams.  They  are  deserving  of  notice  only  as  they  furnish 
a  general  idea  of  the  tastes  and  pursuits  of  the  young  women  of 
that  day.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  them  is 
the  evident  influence  upon  the  writers  which  the  study  of  "  The 
Spectator  "  and  of  the  poets  appears  to  have  had.  This  is  per 
ceptible  in  the  more  important  train  of  thought  and  structure  of 
language,  as  well  as  in  the  lesser  trifles  of  the  taste  for  quota 
tion  and  for  fictitious  signatures.  Calliope  and  Myra,  Aspasia 
and  Aurelia,  have  effectually  succeeded  in  disguising  their  true 
names  from  the  eyes  of  younger  generations.  The  signature  of 
Miss  Smith  appears  to  have  been  Diana,  a  name  which  she 
dropped  after  her  marriage,  without  losing  the  fancy  that 
prompted  its  selection.  Her  letters  during  the  Revolution 
show  clearly  enough  the  tendency  of  her  own  thoughts  and 
feelings,  in  the  substitute  she  then  adopted,  of  Portia.  Her 
fondness  for  quotations,  the  fashion  of  that  day,  it  will  be  seen, 
was  maintained  through  life. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  species*  of  exercise,  in  early  life,  more 
productive  of  results  useful  to  the  mind,  than  that  of  writing 
letters.  Over  and  above  the  mechanical  facility  of  constructing 
sentences,  which  no  teaching  will  afford  so  well,  the  interest 
with  which  the  object  is  commonly  pursued  gives  an  extraordi 
nary  impulse  to  the  intellect.  This  is  promoted  in  a  degree 
proportionate  to  the  scarcity  of  temporary  and  local  subjects  for 
discussion.  Where  there  is  little  gossip,  the  want  of  it  must  be 
supplied  from  books.  The  love  of  literature  springs  up  where 
the  weeds  of  scandal  take  no  root.  The  young  ladies  of  Mas 
sachusetts,  in  the  last  century,  were  certainly  readers,  even 
though  only  self-taught ;  and  their  taste  was  not  for  the  feeble 
and  nerveless  sentiment,  or  the  frantic  passion,  which  comes  from 
the  novels  and  romances  in  the  circulating  library  of  our  day, 
but  was  derived  from  the  deepest  wells  of  English  literature. 
The  poets  and  moralists  of  the  mother  country  furnished  to 
these  inquiring  minds  their  ample  stores,  and  they  were  used  to 
an  extent  which  it  is  at  least  doubtful  if  the  more  pretending 
and  elaborate  instruction  of  the  present  generation,  would  equal. 


xiv  MEMOIR. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Adams  was  a  pious,  man,  with  something 
of  that  vein  of  humor  not  uncommon  among  the  clergy  of  New 
England,  which  ordinarily  found  such  a  field  for  exercise  as  is 
displayed  in  the  pages  of  Cotton  Mather.  He  was  the  father 
of  three  daughters,  all  of  them  women  of  uncommon  force  of 
intellect,  though  the  fortunes  of  two  of  them  confined  its  influ 
ence  TO  a  sphere  much  more  limited  than  that  which  fell  to  the 
lot  of  Mrs.  Adams.  Mary,  the  eldest,  was  married  in  1792  to 
Richard  Cranch,  an  English  emigrant,  who  had  settled  at  Ger- 
mantown,  a  part  of  Braintree,  and  who  subsequently  became  a 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Massachusetts,  and 
died,  highly  respected,  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
The  late  William  Cranch.  of  Washington,  who  presided  so 
long,  and  with  so  much  dignity  and  fidelity,  over  the  Circuit 
Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  was  the  son  of  this  marriage. 
Elizabeth,  the  youngest,  was  twice  married  ;  first  to  the  Reverend 
John  Shaw,  minister  of  Haverhill,  in  Massachusetts,  and,  after 
his  death,  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Peabody,  of  Atkinson,  New 
Hampshire.  Thus  much  is  necessary  to  be  stated  in  order  to 
explain  the  relations,  which  the  parties  mentioned  in  many  of 
the  letters  bore  to  each  other.  It  is  an  anecdote  told  of  Mr. 
Smith,  that  upon  the  marriage  of  his  eldest  daughter  he 
preached  to  his  people  from  the  text  in  the  forty-second  verse 
of  the  tenth  chapter  of  Luke,  "  And  Mary  hath  chosen  that 
good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her."  Two 
years  elapsed,  and  his  second  daughter,  the  subject  of  this  no 
tice,  was  about  to  marry  John  Adams,  then  a  lawyer  in  good 
practice,  when  some  disapprobation  of  the  match  appears  to 
have  manifested  itself  among  a  portion  of  his  parishioners. 
The  profession  of  law  was,  for  a  long  period  in  the  colonial  his 
tory  of  Massachusetts,  unknown  ;  and  after  circumstances  called 
it  forth,  the  prejudices  of  the  inhabitants,  who  thought  it  a  call 
ing  hardly  honest,  were  arrayed  against  those  who  adopted  it. 
There  are  many  still  living  who  can  remember  how  strong  they 
remained,  even  down  to  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  pres 
ent  Federal  Constitution  ;  and  the  records  of  the  General 
Court  will  show  that  they  had  not  quite  disappeared  even 
much  later.  Besides  this,  the  family  of  Mr.  Adams,  the  son  of 
a  small  farmer  of  the  middle  class  in  Braintree,  was  thought 
scarcely  good  enough  to  match  with  the  minister's  daughter, 
descended  from  so  many  of  the  shining  lights  of  the  Colony. 
It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Smith  was  made  aware  of  the  opinions 


MEMOIR.  XV 

expressed  among  his  people,  for  he  is  said,  immediately  after  the 
marriage  took  place,  to  have  replied  to  them  by  a  sermon,  the 
text  of  which,  in  evident  allusion  to  the  objection  against  law 
yers,  was  drawn  from  Luke  vii.  33  :  "  For  John  came  neither 
eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine,  and  ye  say,  He  hath  a  devil." 1 

Mrs.  Adams  was  married  on  the  25th  of  October,  1764,  hav-. 
ing  then  nearly  completed  her  twentieth  year.  The  ten  years 
immediately  following  present  little  that  is  worthy  of  record 
ing.  She  appears  to  have  passed  a  quiet,  and  very  happy 
life,  having  her  residence  in  Braintree  or  in  Boston,  according 
as  the  state  of  her  husband's  health,  then  rather  impaired,  or 
that  of  his  professional  practice,  made  the  change  advisable. 
Within  this  period  she  became  the  mother  of  a  daughter  and  of 
three  sons,  whose  names  will  frequently  appear  in  her  letters ; 
and  her  domestic  cares  were  relieved  by  the  presence  of  her  hus 
band,  absent  from  home  only  upon  those  occasions  when  he,  with 
the  other  lawyers  of  his  time,  was  compelled  to  follow  the  cir 
cuits.  During  these  times  he  used  regularly  to  write  to  his  wife, 
giving  her  an  account  of  his  adventures  and  of  his  professional 
success.  These  letters  remain,  and  furnish  a  somewhat  curious 
record  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  provincial  times. 
Several  of  them  will  be  found  in  this  collection.  She  does  not 
appear  to  have  often  replied. 

It  is  said  by  Governor  Hutchinson,  in  the  third  volume  of  his 
History,  that  neither  the  health  of  Mr.  Adams,  nor  his  business, 
admitted  of  his  constant  application  to  public  affairs  in  the 
manner  that  distinguished  his  kinsman,  Samuel  Adams,  during 
the  years  preceding  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution.  If  the 
sum  of  that  application  is^to  be  measured  by  the  frequency  of 
his  appearance  before  the  public  as  an  actor  in  an  official  char 
acter  upon  the  scene,  the  remark  is  true  ;  for  up  to  the  year 
1774  he  had  served  but  once  or  twice  as  a  representative  in 
the  General  Court,  and  in  no  other  situation.  But  this  would 
furnish  a  very  unfair  standard  by  which  to  try  the  extent  of  his 
labors  for  the  public.  Very  often,  as  much  is  done  by  before 
hand  preparing  the  public  mind  for  action,  as  by  the  conduct  of 

1  As  this  anecdote  rests  entirely  upon  tradition,  it  has  been  differently  told; 
and  it  is  here  admitted  in  this  form,  rather  as  a  characteristic  feature  of  the 
age,  and  of  the  individual,  than  from  any  positive  reliance  upon  its  authenticity. 
There  are  yet  transmitted,  among  the  inhabitants  of  Weymouth  and  Hingham, 
many  stories  of  Mr.  Smith's  application  of  texts,  in  a  similar  manner,  to  the 
events  of  the  Revolution,  which  render  the  truth  of  this  far  from  improbable. 


XVI  MEMOIR. 

that  action  after  it  has  been  commenced  ;  although  the  visible 
amount  of  exertion,  by  which  alone  the  world  forms  its  judg 
ments,  is  in  the  two  cases  widely  different.  From  the  time  of 
his  marriage,  in  1764,  perhaps  still  earlier,  when  he,  as  a  young 
lawyer,  in  1761,  took  notes  of  the  argument  in  the  celebrated 
cause  of  the  Writs  of  Assistants,  there  is  evidence  constantly 
presented  of  his  active  interest  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle. 
There  is  hardly  a  year  in  the  interval  between  the  earliest  of 
these  dates  and  1774,  that  the  traces  of  his  hand  are  not  visi 
ble  in  the  newspapers  of  Boston,  elaborately  discussing  the  mo 
mentous  questions  which  preceded  the  crisis.  It  was  during 
this  period  that  the  "  Essay  on  Canon  and  Feudal  Law  "  was 
written.  A  long  controversy  with  Major  Brattle,  upon  the  pay 
ment  of  the  Judges,  and  the  papers  of  "  Novanglus,"  were  other, 
though  by  no  means  all,  the  results  of  his  labors.  He  drafted 
several  of  the  papers  of  Instructions  to  the  Representatives  to 
the  General  Court,  both  in  Boston  and  in  his  native  town,  and 
also  some  of  the  most  elaborate  legal  portions  of  the  celebrated 
controversy  between  that  body  and  Governor  Hutchinson.  The 
tendency,  which  all  these  papers  show,  to  seek  for  political  truth 
in  its  fundamental  principles  and  most  abstract  forms,  whilst  it 
takes  oif  much  from  the  interest  with  which  the  merely  general 
reader  would  now  consider  them,  is  yet  of  historical  importance, 
as  establishing  the  fact,  how  little  of  mere  impulse  there  was 
in  his  mode  of  action  against  the  mother  country.  They  also 
show  the  extent  of  the  studies  to  which  his  mind  applied  itself, 
and  the  depth  of  the  foundation  laid  by  him  for  his  subsequent 
career.  Yet,  during  all  this  time,  his  professional  labors  were 
never  intermitted,  and  ceased  only  with  the  catastrophe  which 
shut  up  the  courts  of  justice  and  rendered  exertion  upon  a  dif 
ferent  theatre  absolutely  necessary  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
fabric  of  society. 

Perhaps  the  preceding  detail  belongs  more  properly  to  a 
memoir  of  Mr.  Adams  than  that  of  his  wife.  Yet  it  would  be 
impossible  to  furnish  any  accurate  idea  of  her  character  without 
explaining  the  precise  nature  of  the  influences  acting  upon  her, 
whilst  still  young,  and  when  that  character  was  taking  its  per 
manent  form.  There  was  no  one  who  witnessed  his  studies 
with  greater  interest,  or  who  sympathized  with  him  in  the  con 
clusions  to  which  his  mind  was  forcing  him,  more  deeply,  than 
Mrs.  Adams.  And  hence  it  was,  that,  as  the  day  of  trial  came, 
and  the  hour  for  action  drew  near,  she  'was  found  not  unpre- 


MEMOIR.  xvii 

pared  to  submit  to  the  lot  appointed  her.  Mr.  Adams  was 
elected  one  of  the  delegates  on  the  part  of  Massachusetts, 
instructed  to  meet  persons  chosen  in  the  same  manner  from  the 
other  colonies,  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  in  common  upon  the 
course  most  advisable  to  be  adopted  by  them.  In  the  month  of 
August,  1774,  he  left  home,  in  company  with  Samuel  Adams, 
Thomas  Gushing,  and  Robert  Treat  Paine,  to  go  to  Philadelphia, 
at  which  place  the  proposed  assembly  was  to  be  held.  It  is 
from  this  period  that  the  correspondence  between  these  parties, 
now  submitted,  becomes  interesting.  The  letter  of  the  19th  of  \ 
August  of  this  year  *  portrays  her  own  feelings  upon  this,  the 
first  separation  of  importance  from  her  husband,  and  the  anxiety 
with  which  she  was  watching  the  course  of  events.  Yet  there  / 
is  in  it  not  a  syllable  of  regret  for  the  past  or  of  fear  for  the 
future  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  an  acute  perception  of  the  obsta 
cles  in  the  way  of  an  immediate  return  to  peaceful  times,  and  a 
deliberate  preparation,  by  reading  and  reflection,  for  the  worst. 
The  Congress  confined  itself,  in  its  first  sessions,  to  consultation 
and  remonstrance.  It  therefore  adjourned  after  the  lapse  of 
only  two  months.  It  is  during  this  time  that  the  letters  in  the 
present  volume  which  bear  date  in  1774  were  written.  They 
furnish  a  lively  exhibition  of  the  state  of  public  feeling  in  Mas 
sachusetts.  That  dated  on  the  14th  of  September  is  particu 
larly  interesting,  as  it  gives  an  account  of  the  securing  the  gun 
powder  from  the  British,  in  her  own  town  of  Braintree,  as  well 
as  a  highly  characteristic  trait  of  New  England,  in  the  refusal  to 
cheer  on  a  Sunday.  The  last  of  this  series,  dated  on  the  16th, 
of  October,  shows  that  all  remaining  hopes  of  peace  and  recon 
ciliation  were  fast  vanishing  from  her  mind ;  and  in  an  affecting 
manner  she  '•  bids  adieu  to  domestic  felicity  perhaps  until  the 
meeting  with  her  husband  in  another  world,  since  she  looks  for 
ward  to  nothing  further  in  this  than  sacrifices,  as  the  result  of 
the  impending  contest."  2 

The  second  meeting  of  the  Congress,  which  took  place  in  May, 
1775,  was  marked  by  events  which  wholly  changed  the  nature 
of  its  deliberations.  Up  to  that  period,  the  struggle  had  been 
only  a  dispute.  It  then  took  the  more  fearful  shape  of  a  war. 
Mr.  Adams  left  his  house  and  family  at  Braintree  on  the  14th 
of  April,  only  five  days  before  the  memorable  incident  at  Lex 
ington,  which  was  a  signal  for  the  final  appeal  to  arms.  The 
news  of  the  affair  reached  him  at  Hartford,  on  his  way  to 
1  Page  25.  2  Page  47. 

b 


xviii  MEMOIR. 

Philadelphia.  General  Gage  had  planned  his  attack  upon 
Lexington  with  the  knowledge  that  John  Hancock  and  Samuel 
Adams,  two  of  the  delegates  to  the  general  Congress,  were  in 
that  place  at  the  time  ;  and  it  was  probably  one  of  his  objects 
to  seize  them,  if  they  could  be  found.  Gordon,  the  historian, 
attributes  their  escape  only  to  a  friendly  warning  given  them  by 
a  woman  residing  in  Boston,  but  "  unequally  yoked  in  politics." 
There  was  nearly  the  same  reason  for  apprehension  on  the 
part  of  John  Adams.  His  house  was  situated  still  nearer  to 
Boston,  could  be  more  easily  approached  by  water,  and  his  fam 
ily,  if  not  he  himself,  was  known  to  be  residing  there.  Under 
these  circumstances,  what  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Adams,  left  with 
the  care  of  four  small  children,  the  eldest  not  ten  years  of  age, 
must  have  been,  may  readily  be  conceived.  But  the  letters  in 
which  she  describes  them  bring  the  idea  home  to  the  mind  with 
still  greater  force.  She  tells  us  that  upon  the  separation  from 
her  husband  "  her  heart  had  felt  like  a  heart  of  lead,"  and  that 
"  she  never  trusts  herself  long  with  the  terrors  that  sometimes 
intrude  themselves  upon  her ;  "  that  "  since  the  never-to-be-for 
gotten  day  of  his  departure,  the  14th  of  April,  nothing  had  agi 
tated  her  so  much  as  the  news  of  the  arrival  of  recruits  ;  "  and 
that  "  she  lives  in  continual  expectation  of  alarms."  Neither 
were  these  apprehensions  altogether  groundless.  The  letter  of 
the  4th  of  May  mentions  that  Colonel  Quincy's  family,  whose 
residence  was  nearer  to  the  water-side  than  hers,  had  taken 
refuge  for  one  night  with  her.  That  of  the*24th  gives  a  highly 
yivid  picture  of  the  consternation  into  which  the  whole  town 
was  thrown  by  a  party  of  British,  foraging  upon  an  island  in 
the  harbor,  'close  upon  the  town.  Then  follows  the  account  of 
the  battle  on  Bunker's  Hill  and  the  burning  of  Charlestown, 
dreadful  events  to  those  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Boston  and 
to  herself;  yet,  in  the  midst  of  them,  the  writer  adds  that  she 
is  "  distressed,  but  not  dismayed,"  and  that  "  she  has  been  able 
to  maintain  a  calmness  and  presence  of  mind,  and  hopes  she 
shall,  let  the  exigency  of  the  time  be  what  it  will."  1 

But  it  is  superfluous  to  endeavor  to  heighten  the  picture 
given  in  the  letters  with  so  much  distinctness.  Mr.  Adams 
seems  to  have  been  startled  on  the  arrival  of  the  intelligence  at 
Hartford.  Conscious,  however,  that  his  return  would  rather 
tend  to  add  to,  than  diminish,  the  hazard  to  which  his  family 
was  exposed,  he  contented  himself  with  writing  encouragement, 
i  Pages  52-74. 


MEMOIR.  XIX 

and,  at  the  same  time,  his  directions  in  .;ase  of  positive  danger. 
"  In  a  cause  which  interests  the  whole  globe,"  he  says,  "  at  a 
time  when  my  friends  and  country  are  in  such  keen  distress,  I 
am  scarcely  ever  interrupted  in  the  least  degree  by  apprehen 
sions  for  my  personal  safety.  I  am  often  concerned  for  you  and 
our  dear  babes,  surrounded  as  you  are  by  people  who  are  too 
timorous  and  too  much  susceptible  of  alarms.  Many  fears  and 
jealousies  and  imaginary  evils  will  be  suggested  to  you,  but  I 
hope  you  will  not  be  impressed  by  them.  In  case  of  real  dan 
ger,  of  which  you  cannot  fail  to  have  previous  intimations,  fly  to 
the  woods  with  our  children." 

Mr.  Adams  very  well  knew  to  whom  he  was  recommending 
such  an  appalling  alternative,  the  very  idea  of  which  would  have 
been  intolerable  to  many  women.  The  trial  Mrs.  Adams  was 
called  to  undergo  from  the  fears  of  those  immediately  around 
her  was  one  in  addition  to  that  caused  by  her  own  apprehen 
sions  ;  a  trial,  it  may  be  remarked,  of  no  ordinary  nature, 
since  it  demands  the  exercise  of  a  presence  of  mind  and  accu 
racy  of  judgment  in  distinguishing  the  false  from  the  true,  that 
falls  to  the  lot  of  few  even  of  the  stronger  sex.  It  is  the  tend 
ency  of  women  in  general  to  suffer  quite  as  much  from  anxiety 
occasioned  by  the  activity  of  the  imagination,  as  if  it  was,  in 
every  instance,  founded  upon  reasonable  cause. 

But  the  sufferings  of  this  remarkable  year  were  not  limited 
to  the  mind  alone.  The  terrors  of  war  were  accompanied  with 
the  ravages  of  pestilence.  Mr.  Adams  was  at  home  during  the 
period  of  adjournment  of  the  Congress,  which  was  only  for  the 
month  of  August ;  but  scarcely  had  he  crossed  his  threshold, 
when  the  dysentery,  a  disease  which  had  already  signified  its 
approach  in  scattering  instances  about  the  neighborhood  of  the 
besieged  town  of  Boston,  where  it  had  commenced,  assumed  a 
highly  epidemic  character,  and  marked  its  victims  in  every 
family.  A  younger  brother  of  Mr.  Adams  had  fallen  among 
the  earliest  in  the  town ;  but  it  was  not  till  his  departure  for 
Philadelphia  that  almost  every  member  of  his  own  household  was 
seized.  The  letters  written  during  the  month  of  September,  1 775, 
of  which  only  extracts  were  printed  in  the  early  editions  of  these 
papers,  for  reasons  then  thought  satisfactory,  it  is  now  deemed 
not  unsuitable  to  produce  in  full.  They  tell  their  own  tale 
much  more  forcibly  than  any  abridgment  could  do.  They  pre 
sent  distinctly  to  the  imagination  the  acuteness  of  trials  of  which 
female  history  seldom  takes  much  note,  and  yet  in  which  female 
fortitude  gains  its  most  heroic  triumphs. 


XX  MEMOIR. 

Without  designing  to  detract  from  the  unquestioned  merit  of 
that  instrument,  it  must  nevertheless  be  admitted  that  the  Dec 
laration  of  Independence,  called  by  the  celebrated  John  Ran 
dolph  "  a  fanfaronade  of  abstractions,"  might  very  naturally  be 
expected  to  reward  the  eiforts  of  its  signers  with  a  crown  of 
immortality  ;  whilst  the  very  large  share  of  the  cost  of  main 
taining  it,  wrung  from  the  bleeding  hearts  of  the  women  of  the 
Revolution,  was  paid  without  any  hope  or  expectation  of  a  sim 
ilar  compensation. 

Mr.  Adams  was  again  at  home  in  the  month  of  December, 
during  the  sessions  of  the  Congress,  which  were  now  contin 
ued  without  intermission.  It  was  upon  his  departure  for  the 
third  time  that  the  long  and  very  remarkable  letter  bearing 
date  March  2d,  1776,1  and  continued  through  several  days,  was 
written  ;  a  letter  composed  in  the  midst  of  the  din  of  war,  and 
describing  hopes  and  fears  in  a  manner  deeply  interesting. 
With  this  the  description  of  active  scenes  in  the  war  terminates. 
The  British  force  soon  afterwards  evacuated  Boston  and  Massa 
chusetts,  which  did  not  again  become  the  field  of  military  action. 
The  correspondence  now  changes  its  character.  From  contain 
ing  accounts  of  stirring  events  directly  under  the  writer's  eye, 
,,-Mrs.  Adams's  letters  assume  a  more  private  form,  and  princi- 

\pally  relate  to  the  management  of  the  farm  and   the  household. 
Few  of  these  would  be  likely  to  amuse  the  general  reader,  yet 
some  are  necessary  to  show  a  portion  of  her  character.     Mr. 
Adams   was  never    a  man    of  large  fortune.      His    profession, 
which  had  been  a  source  of  emolument,  was  now  entirely  taken 
away  from  him  ;  and  his  only  dependence  for  the  support  of  his 
family  was  in  the  careful  husbanding  of   the  means  in  actual 
,    possession.     It  is  not  giving  to  his  wife  too  much  credit  to  affirm 
that  by  her  prudence  through  the  years  of  the  Revolution,  and 
^x  indeed  during  the  whole  period  when  the  attention  of  her  hus- 
S  band  was  engrossed  by  public  affairs,  she  saved  him  from  the 
{ mortification  in  his  last  days,  which  some  of  those  who  have 
Hxeen,  like  him,  elevated  to  the  highest  posts  in  the  country, 
have,  for  want  of  such  care,  not  altogether  escaped. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  again  visited  his 
home,  and  never  afterwards  rejoined  Congress  ;  for  that  body  in 
his  absence  had  elected  him  to  perform  a  duty  in  a  distant  land. 
This  was  destined  to  furnish  a  severe  trial  to  the  fortitude  of 
Mrs.  Adams.  On  the  25th  of  October,  she  had  written  a  letter 
1  Page  136. 


MEMOIR.         -  xxi 

to  him,  it  being  tlie  anniversary  of  their  wedding-day,  in  which 
she  notices  the  fact  that  "  out  of  thirteen  years  of  their  married 
life,  three  had  been  passed  in  a  state  of  separation."  Yet  in 
these  years  the  distance  between  them  had  never  been  very 
great,  and  the  means  of  communication  almost  always  reasona 
bly  speedy  and  certain.  She  appears  little  to  have  anticipated 
that  in  a  few  short  weeks  she  was  to  be  deprived  of  even  these 
compensations,  and  to  send  her  husband  to  a  foreign  country, 
over  seas  covered  with  the  enemy's  ships.  "  I  very  well  remem 
ber,"  she  says,  in  an  earlier  letter,  "  when  the  eastern  circuits  of 
the  courts,  which  lasted  a  month,  were  thought  an  age,  and  an 
absence  of  three  months,  intolerable ;  but  we  are  carried  from 
step  to  step,  and  from  one  degree  to  another,  to  endure  that 
which  first  we  think  insupportable."  It  was  in  exact  accor 
dance  with  this  process,  that  the  separations  of  half  a  year  or 
more  were  to  be  followed  by  those  which  lasted  many  years, 
and  the  distance  from  Boston  to  Philadelphia  or  Baltimore  was 
extended  to  Paris  and  a  different  quarter  of  the  globe.  Upon 
the  reception  of  the  news  of  his  appointment  as  Joint  Commis 
sioner  at  the  Court  of  France,  in  the  place  of  Silas  Deane,  Mr. 
Adams  lost  no  time  in  making  his  arrangements  for  the  voyage. 
But  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  think  of  risking  his  wife  and 
children  all  at  once  with  him  in  so  perilous  an  enterprise.  The 
frigate  Boston,  a  small  and  not  very  good  vessel,  mounting 
twenty-eight  guns,  had  been  ordered  to  transport  him  to  his 
destination.  The  British  fleet,  stationed  at  Newport,  perfectly 
well  knew  the  circumstances  under  which  she  was  going,  and 
was  on  the  watch  to  favor  the  new  Commissioner  with  a  fate 
similar  to  that  afterwards  experienced  by  Mr.  Laurens.  The 
political  attitude  of  France  still  remained  equivocal.  Hence,  on 
every  account  it  seemed  advisable  that  Mr.  Adams  should  go 
upon  his  mission  alone.  He  left  the  shores  of  his  native  town 
to  embark  in  the  frigate  in  February,  1778,  accompanied  only 
by  his  eldest  son,  John  Quincy  Adams,  then  a  boy  not  quite 
eleven  years  of  age. 

It  is  not  often  that  even  upon  that  boisterous  ocean  a  voyage 
combines  greater  perils  of  war  and  of  the  elements  than  did 
this  of  the  Boston.  Yet  it  is  by  no  means  unlikely  that  the 
lightning  which  struck  the  frigate,  and  the  winds  that  nearly 
sent  it  to  the  bottom,  were  effective  instruments  to  deter  the 
enemy  from  a  pursuit  which  threatened  to  end  in  capture. 
This  is  not,  however,  the  place  to  enlarge  upon  this  story.  It 


xxii  MEMOIR. 

is  alluded  to  only  as  connected  with  the  uneasiness  experienced 
by  Mrs.  Adams,  who  was  left  alone  to  meditate  upon  the  hazard 
to  which  her  husband  was  exposed.  Her  letter  written  not 
long  after  the  sailing  of  the  frigate  distinctly  shows  her  feel 
ings.1  But  we  find  by  it  that  to  all  the  causes  for  anxiety 
which  would  naturally  have  occurred  to  her  mind,  there  was 
superadded  one  growing  out  of  a  rumor  then  in  circulation,  that 
some  British  emissary  had  made  an  attempt  upon  the  life  of  Dr. 
Franklin  whilst  acting  at  Paris  in  the  very  Commission  of  which 
her  husband  had  been  made  a  part.  This  was  a  kind  of  appre 
hension  as  new  as  it  was  distressing ;  one  too,  the  vague  nature 
of  which  tended  indefinitely  to  multiply  those  terrors  that  had  a 
better  foundation  in  reality. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne  had  done  more 
to  hasten  the  desired  acknowledgment,  by  France,  of  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  United  States,  than  all  the  efforts  which  Com 
missioners  could  have  made.  Upon  his  arrival  in  that  country, 
Mr.  Adams  found  the  great  object  of  his  mission  accomplished, 
and  himself,  consequently,  left  with  little  or  no  occupation.  He 
did  not  wait  in  Europe  to  know  the  further  wishes  of  Congress, 
but  returned  home  in  August,  1779.  Only  a  brief  enjoyment 
of  his  society  by  his  family  was  the  result,  inasmuch  as  in 
October  he  was  again  ordered  by  Congress  to  go  to  Europe,  and 
there  to  wait  until  Great  Britain  should  manifest  an  inclination 
to  treat  with  him,  and  terminate  the  war.  In  obedience  to 
these  directions,  he  sailed  in  November,  on  board  of  the  French 
frigate  Sensible,  taking  with  him  upon  this  occasion  his  two  eldest 
sons.  The  day  of  his  embarkation  is  marked  by  a  letter  in  the 
present  collection,  quite  touching  in  its  character.1 

The  ordinary  occupations  of  the  female  sex  are  necessarily  of 
a  kind  which  must  ever  prevent  it  from  partaking  largely  of  the 
action  of  life.  However  keenly  women  may  think  or  feel,  there 
is  seldom  an  occasion  when  the  sphere  of  their  exertions  can 
with  propriety  be  extended  much  beyond  the  domestic  hearth  or 
the  social  circle.  Exactly  here  are  they  to  be  seen  most  in 
their  glory.  Three  or  four  years  passed  whilst  Mrs.  Adams 
was  living  in  the  utmost  seclusion  of  country  life,  during  which, 
on  account  of  the  increasing  vigilance  of  British  cruisers,  she 
very  seldom  heard  from  her  husband.  The  material  for  inter 
esting  letters  was  proportionately  small,  and  yet  there  was  no 
time  when  she  was  more  usefully  occupied.  It  is  impossible  to 
l  Page  327.  l  Page  368. 


MEMOIR.  xxiii 

omit  all  notice  of  this  period,  however  deficient  it  may  prove  in 
variety.  The  depreciation  of  the  Continental  paper  money,  the 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  managing  the  property  of  her  husband, 
her  own  isolation,  and  the  course  of  public  events  in  distant 
parts  of  the  country,  form  her  constant  topics.  Only  a  small 
number  of  the  letters  which  discuss  them,  yet  enough  to  show 
her  situation  at  this  period,  have  been  admitted  into  this  volume. 
They  are  remarkable,  because  they  display  the  readiness  with 
which  she  could  devote  herself  to  the  most  opposite  duties,  and 
the  cheerful  manner  in  which  she  could  accommodate  herself  to 
the  difficulties  of  the  times.  .  She  is  a  farmer  cultivating  the 
land,  and  discussing  the  weather  and  the  crops  ;  a  merchant 
reporting  prices-current  and  the  rates  of  exchange,  and  direct 
ing  the  making  up  of  invoices  ;  a  politician  speculating  upon 
the  probabilities  of  peace  or  war ;  and  a  mother  writing  the 
most  exalted  sentiments  to  her  son.  All  of  these  pursuits  she 
adopts  together  ;  some  from  choice,  the  rest  from  the  necessity 
of  the  case  ;  and  in  all  she  appears  equally  well.  Yet,  among 
the  letters  of  this  period  there  will  be  found  two  or  three  which 
rise  in  their  tone  very  far  above  the  rest,  and  which  can  scarcely 
fail  to  awaken  the  sympathy  of  the  coldest  reader.1 

The  signature  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  with  Great  Britain, 
which  fully  established  the  independence  of  the  United  States, 
did  not  terminate  the  residence  of  Mr.  Adams  in  Europe.  He 
was  ordered  by  Congress  to  remain  there,  and,  in  conjunction 
with  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  to  establish  by  treaty 
commercial  relations  with  foreign  powers.  And  not  long  after 
wards  a  new  commission  was  sent  him  as  the  first  representa 
tive  of  the  nation  to  him  who  had  been  their  King.  The  duties 
prescribed  seemed  likely  to  require  a  residence  sufficiently  long 
to  authorize  him  in  a  request  that  Mrs.  Adams  should  join 
him  in  Europe.  After  some  hesitation,  she  finally  consented  ; 
and,  in  June,  1784,  she  sailed  from  Boston  in  a  merchant  vessel 
bound  to  London.  Mrs.  Adams  found  herself,  at  the  age  of 
forty,- suddenly  transplanted  into  a  scene  wholly  new.  From  a 
life  of  the  utmost  retirement,  in  a  small  and  quiet  country  town 
of  New  England,  she  was  at  once  transferred  to  the  busy  and 
bustling  scenes  of  the  populous  and  wealthy  cities  of  Europe. 
Not  only  was  her  position  novel  to  herself,  but  there  had  been 
nothing  like  it  among  her  countrywomen.  She  was  the  first 
representative  of  her  sex  from  the  United  States  at  the  Court 
1  Pages  163,  172,  175. 


xxiv  MEMOIR. 

of  Great  Britain.  The  impressions  made  upon  her  mind  were 
therefore  received  when  it  was  uncommonly  open,  and  free 
from  the  ordinary  restraints  which  an  established  routine  of 
precedents  is  apt  to  create.  Her  residence  in  France  during 
the  first  year  of  her  European  experience  appears  to  have  been 
much  enjoyed,  notwithstanding  the  embarrassment  felt  by  her 
from  not  speaking  the  language.  That  in  England,  which 
lasted  three  years,  was  somewhat  affected  by  the  temper  of  the 
sovereign.  George  and  his  Queen  could  not  get  over  the  mor 
tification  attending  the  loss  of  the  American  Colonies,  nor  at  all 
times  suppress  the  manifestation  of  it,  when  the  presence  of 
their  Minister  forced  the  subject  on  their  recollection.  Mrs. 
Adams  went  through  the  ordinary  form  of  presentation  at 
Court.  She  was  not  more  than  civilly  met  on  the  part  of  the 
Queen,  whose  subsequent  conduct  was  hardly  so  good  as  on 
that  occasion.  Mrs.  Adams  appears  never  to  have  forgotten  it ; 
for  at  a  much  later  period,  when,  in  consequence  of  the  French 
Revolution,  the  throne  of  England  was  thought  to  be  in  danger, 
she  writes  to  her  daughter  with  regret  at  the  prospect  for  the 
country,  but  without  sympathy  for  the  Queen.  "  Humiliation 
for  Charlotte,"  she  says,  "  is  no  sorrow  for  me.  She  richly  de 
serves  her  full  portion  for  the  contempt  and  scorn  which  she 
took  pains  to  discover."  Of  course  the  courtiers  followed  the 
lead  thus  given  to  them,  and  the  impression  made  against 
America  at  the  very  outset  of  its  national  career  has  hardly 
been  effaced  down  to  this  day.  It  is  to  be  observed,  however, 
that  one  circumstance  contributed  to  operate  against  the  situa 
tion  of  the  first  American  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  which  has 
affected  none  of  his  successors.  This  was  the  conduct  of  the 
States  whilst  yet  under  the  Confederation,  justifying  the  gen 
eral  impression  that  they  were  incapable  of  the  self-govern 
ment  the  right  to  which  they  had  so  zealously  fought  to  obtain. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  she  seems  to  have  en 
joyed  much  her  residence  in  the  mother  country.  The  period 
was  not  without  its  peculiar  character  to  Americans.  Their 
country,  exhausted  by  her  efforts  in  the  war  of  Independence, 
had  not  yet  put  herself  in  the  way  of  restoration  by  adopting 
a  good  form  of  government.  It  was  even  a  matter  of  doubt 
whether  her  liberty  was  likely  to  prove  a  blessing,  or  to  degen 
erate  into  a  curse.  On  the  other  hand,  France,  Holland,  and 
Great  Britain  respectively  presented  an  outward  spectacle  of 
wealth  and  prosperity  not  perceptibly  impaired  by  the  violent 


MEMOIR.  xxv 

struggle  between  them,  that  had  just  terminated.  This  con 
trast  is  frequently  marked  in  the  letters  of  Mrs.  Adams  ;  but 
the  perception  of  it  does  not  appear  to  have  in  any  degree 
qualified  the  earnestness  of  her  attachment  to  her  own  very 
modest  home.  "  Whatever  is  to  be  the  fate  of  our  country," 
she  wrote  to  her  sister  at  home,  "  we  have  determined  to  come 
home  and  share  it  with  you."  She  had  very  little  of  that  sus 
ceptibility  of  transfer  which  is  a  characteristic,  not  les^  of  the 
cultivated  and  wealthy  class  of  our  countrymen,  wllo  cling  to 
the  luxury  of  the  Old  World,  than  of  the  adventurous  and  hardy 
sons  of  labor,  who  carve  out  for  themselves  a  new  home  in  the 
forests  of  the  West. 

The  return  of  Mr.  Adams,  with  his  family,  to  the  United 
States,  the  liberty  for  which  was  granted  by  Congress  at  his 
own  request,  was  simultaneous  with  the  adoption  of  the  present 
Constitution  by  the  decision  of  the  ratifying  Conventions. 
Upon  the  organization  of  the  government  under  the  new  form, 
he  was  elected  to  fill  the  office  of  Vice-President,  that  of  Presi 
dent  being,  by  a  more  general  consent,  awarded  to  General 
Washington.  By  this  arrangement,  a  residence  at  the  seat  of 
government  during  the  sessions  of  the  Senate  was  made  neces 
sary  ;  and,  as  that  was  fixed  first  at  New  York  and  then  at 
Philadelphia,  Mrs.  Adams  enjoyed  an  opportunity  to  mix  freely 
with  the  society  of  both  places. 

The  voluntary  retirement  of  General  Washington,  at  the  end 
of  eight  years,  from  the  Presidency,  was  the  signal  for  the 
great  struggle  between  the  two  -political  parties  which  had 
been  rapidly  maturing  their  organization  during  his  term  of  ad 
ministration.  Mr.  Adams  was  elected  as  his  successor  by  a  bare 
majority  of  the  electoral  colleges,  and  against  the  inclinations 
of  one  section  even  of  that  party  which  supported  him.  The 
open  defection  of  that  section,  at  the  following  election,  turned 
the  scale  against  him,  and  brought  Mr.  Jefferson  into  his  place. 
From  early  life  she  had  learnt  to  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
course  of  political  affairs,  and  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  this 
would  decline  whilst  her  husb*and  was  a  chief  actor  in  the  scene 
and  a  butt  for  the  most  malignant  shafts  which  party  animosity 
could  throw.  Her  letters  of  that  period,  of  course,  cannot  be 
comprised  within  the  period  embraced  in  this  volume.  A  single 
exception  may,  perhaps,  be  permitted  to  be  introduced  here. 
It  is  the  letter  of  the  8th  of  February,  1797,  the  day  upon 
which  the  votes  for  President  were  counted,  and  Mr.  Adams, 


xxvi  MEMOIR. 

as  Vice-President,  was  required  by  law  to  announce  himself 
the  President  elect  for  the  ensuing  term.  This,  though  ex 
tremely  short,  appears  to  the  Editor  to  be  the  gem  of  the  col 
lection  ;  for  the  exalted  feeling  of  the  moment  shines  out  with 
all  the  lustre  of  ancient  patriotism.  Perhaps  there  is  not, 
among  the  whole  number,  one  which,  in  its  spirit,  brings  so 
strongly  to  mind,  as  this  does,  the  celebrated  Roman  lady  whose 
signature  she  at  one  time  assumed  ;  whilst  it  is  chastened  by  a 
sentiment  of  Christian  humility  of  which  ancient  history  fur-' 
nishes  no  example. 

"  Quincy,  8  February,  1797. 

"  «  The  sun  is  dressed  in  brightest  beams, 
To  give  thy  honors  to  the  day.' 

"AND  may  it  prove  an  auspicious  prelude  to  each  ensuing 
season.  You  have  this  day  to  declare  yourself  head  of  a 
nation.  '  And  now,  O  Lord,  my  God,  Thou  hast  made  thy 
servant  ruler  over  the  people.  Give  unto  him  an  understand 
ing  heart,  that  he  may  know  how  to  go  out  and  come  in  before 
this  great  people ;  that  he  may  discern  between  good  and  bad. 
For  who  is  able  to  judge  this  thy  so  great  a  people  ?  '  were 
the  words  of  a  royal  Sovereign  ;  and  not  less  applicable  to  him 
who  is  invested  with  the  Chief  Magistracy  of  a  nation,  though  he 
wear  not  a  crown,  nor  the  robes  of  royalty. 

"  My  thoughts  and  my  meditations  are  with  you,  though  per 
sonally  absent ;  and  my  petitions  to  Heaven  are  that  '  the 
things  which  make  for  peace  may  not  be  hidden  from  your 
eyes.'  My  feelings  are  not  those  of  pride  or  ostentation  upon 
the  occasion.  They  are  solemnized  by  a  sense  of  the  obliga 
tions,  the  important  trusts,  and  numerous  duties  connected  with 
it.  That  you  may  be  enabled  to  discharge  them  with  honor  to 
yourself,  with  justice  and  impartiality  to  your  country,  and  with 
satisfaction  to  this  great  people,  shall  be  the  daily  prayer  of 
your  A.  A." 

At  this  time  the  health  of  Mrs.  Adams,  which  had  never 
been  very  firm,  began  decidedly  to  fail.  Her  residence  at 
Philadelphia  had  not  been  favorable,  as  it  had  subjected  her  to 
the  attack  of  an  intermittent  fever,  from  the  effects  of  which 
she  was  never  afterwards  perfectly  free.  The  desire  to  enjoy 
the  bracing  air  of  her  native  climate,  as  well  as  to  keep  to 
gether  the  private  property  of  her  husband,  upon  which  she 
early  foresaw  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  rely  for  their  support 


MEMOIR.  xxvii 

in  their  last  years,  prompted  her  to  reside,  much  of  the  time, 
at  Quincy.  Such  was  the  name  now  given  to  that  part  of  the 
ancient  town  of  Braintree  in  which  she  had  always  lived.  Yet 
when  at  the  seat  of  government,  whether  in  Philadelphia  or 
Washington,  the  influence  of  her  kindly  feelings  and  cheerful 
temper  did  much  to  soften  the  asperities  of  the  time.  Of  her 
early  sentiments  of  Mr.  Jefferson  she  has  given  many  proofs  in 
her  later  correspondence  ;  sentiments  which  she  did  everything 
in  her  power  to  maintain  up  to  the  last  minute  of  their  inter 
course,  and  which  she  qualified  only  for  reasons  given  very  frankly 
to  himself  at  a  later  period,  when  he  requested  to  know  them. 
In  the  midst  of  public  or  private  troubles,  the  buoyant  spirit  of 
Mrs.  Adams  never  forsook  her.  "  I  am  a  mortal  enemy,"  she 
writes  upon  one  occasion  to  her  husband,  "  to  anything  but  a 
cheerful  contenance  and  a  merry  heart,  which,  Solomon  tells  us, 
does  good  like  a  medicine."  This  spirit  contributed  greatly  to 
lift  up  his  heart,  when  surrounded  by  difficulties  and  danger, 
exposed  to  open  hostility  and  secret  detraction,  and  resisting 
a  torrent  of  invective  such  as  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether 
any  other  individual  in  public  station  in  the  United  States  has 
ever  tried  to  stem.  It  was  this  spirit  which  soothed  his 
wounded  feelings,  when  the  country  which  he  had  served  in 
the  full  consciousness  of  the  perfect  honesty  of  his  motives 
threw  him  off,  and  signified  its  preference  for  other  statesmen. 
There  often  are,  even  in  this  life,  more  compensations  for  the 
severest  of  the  troubles  that  afflict  mankind,  than  we  are  apt* 
to  think.  '  It  may  be  questioned  whether  Mr.  Adams's  more 
successful  rival,  who,  in  the  day  of  his  power,  wielded  popular 
masses  with  far  greater  skill  and  success  than  he,  ever  realized, 
in  the  hours  of  his  subsequent  retirement,  any  consolation  for 
liis  pecuniary  embarrassments  like  that  which  Mr.  Adams  en 
joyed  from  the  faithful  devotedness  of  his  wife,  and,  it  may  be 
added,  the  successful  labors  of  his  son. 

There  were  many  persons,  in  the  lifetime  of  the  parties,  who 
ascribed  to  Mrs.  Adams  a  degree  of  influence  over  the  public 
conduct  of  her  husband,  far  greater  than  there  was  any  founda 
tion  for  in  truth.  Perhaps  it  is  giving  more  than  its  due  im 
portance  to  this  idea  to  take  any  notice  at  all  of  it  in  this 
place.  But  the  design  of  this  Memoir  is  to  set  forth,  in  as 
clear  a  light  as  possible,  the  character  of  its  subject;  and  this 
cannot  well  be  done  without  a  full  explanation  of  her  personal 
relations  to  those  about  her.  That  her  opinions,  even  upon 


xxviii  MEMOIR. 

public  affairs,  had  at  all  times  great  weight  with  her  husband, 
is  unquestionably  true,  for  he  frequently  marked  upon  her  let 
ters  his  testimony  to  their  solidity  ;  but  there  is  no  evidence 
that  they  either  originated  or  materially  altered  any  part  of  the 
course  he  had  laid  out  for  himself.  Whenever  she  differed  in 
sentiment  from  him,  which  was  sometimes  the  case,  she  per-, 
fectly  well  understood  her  own  position,  and  that  the  best  way 
of  recommending  her  views  was  by  entire  concession.  The 
character  of  Mr.  Adams  is  clearly  visible  in  his  own  papers. 
Ardent,  vehement  in  support  of  what  he  believed  to  be  right, 
easily  roused  to  anger  by  opposition,  but  sincere,  placable,  and 
generous,  when  made  conscious  of  having  committed  the  slightest 
wrong,  there  is  no  individual  of  his  time  about  whom  there 
are  so  few  concealments  of  either  faults  or  virtues.  She  was 
certain  that  a  word  said,  not  at  the  moment  of  irritation,  but 
immediately  after  it  had  passed,  would  receive  great  considera 
tion  from  him.  She  therefore  waited  the  favorable  time,  and 
thus,  by  the  calmness  of  her  judgment,  exercised  a  species  of 
negative  influence,  which  often  prevented  evil  consequences 
from  momentary  indiscretion.  But  her  power  extended  no 
further,  nor  did  she  seek  to  make  it  do  so,  and  in  this  consisted 
her  principal  merit.  Perhaps  it  may  be  added,  that  to  men  of 
ardent  and  excitable  temperament  no  virtue  is  more  necessary 
in  a  wife,  and  none  more  essential  to  the  happiness  and  pros 
perity  of  both  the  parties,  than  that  which  has  been  now  de 
scribed. 

From  the  year  1801  down  to  the  day  of  her  death,  which 
happened  on  the  28th  of  October,  1818,  she  remained  uninter 
ruptedly  at  home  in  Quincy.  This  period  furnishes  abundance 
of  familiar  letters.  Her  interest  in  public  affairs  did  not  cease 
with  the  retirement  of  her  husband.  She  continued  to  write  to 
her  friends  her  free  opinions,  both  of  men  and  measures,  per 
haps  with  a  more  sustained  hand  on  account  of  the  share  her 
son  was  then  taking  in  politics.  But  these  letters  bring  us 
down  to  times  so  recent  that  they  carry  us  beyond  the  limits 
contemplated  in  the  present  publication.  On  some  accounts, 
this  is  perhaps  to  be  regretted.  None  of  her  letters  present  a 
more  agreeable  picture  of  life,  or  a  more  characteristic  idea  of 
their  author,  than  these.  The  old  age  of  Mrs.  Adams  was  not 
one  of  grief  and  repining,  of  clouds  and  darkness.  Her  cheer 
fulness  continued,  with  the  full  possession  of  her  faculties,  to  the 
last ;  and  her  sunny  spirit  enlivened  the  small  social  circle 


MEMOIR.  xxix 

around  her,  brightened  the  solitary  hours  of  her  husband,  and 
spread  the  influence  of  its  example  over  the  town  where  she 
lived.  "  Yesterday,"  she  writes  to  a  granddaughter  on  the  26th 
of  October,  1814,  "  yesterday  completes  half  a  century  since  I 
entered  the  married  state,  then  just  your  age.  I  have  great 
cause  of  thankfulness,  that  I  have  lived  so  long  and  enjoyed  so 
large  a  portion  of  happiness  as  has  been  my  lot.  The  greatest 
source  of  unhappiness  I  have  known  in  that  period  has  arisen 
from  the  long  and  cruel  separations  which  I  was  called,  in  a 
time  of  war  and  with  a  young  family  around  me,  to  submit  to." 
Yet  she  had  not  been  without  her  domestic  afflictions.  A 
daughter  lost  in  infancy  ;  a  son,  grown  up  to  manhood,  who 
died  in  1800;  and,  thirteen  years  afterwards,  the  death  of  her 
only  remaining  daughter,  the  wife  of  Colonel  W.  S.  Smith,  fur 
nished  causes  of  deep  and  severe  grief,  which  threw  a  shadow 
of  sadness  over  the  evening  of  her  life.  But  they  produced 
no  permanent  gloom,  nor  did  they  prevent  her  from  enjoying 
the  consolations  to  be  found  in  gratitude  to  the  Divine  Being 
for  the  blessings  that  still  remained  to  her.  She  was  rewarded 
for  the  painful  separation  from  her  eldest  son,  when  he  went 
abroad  in  the  public  service  under  circumstances  which  threat 
ened  a  long  absence,  by  surviving  the  whole  period  of  eight 
years  that  it  lasted,  and  witnessing  his  return  to  receive  from 
the  Chief  Magistrate  elect,  Mr.  Monroe,  the  highest  testimony  he 
could  give  him  of  his  confidence.  This  was  the  fulfillment  of  the 
wish  nearest  to  her  heart.  His  nomination  as  Secretary  of  State 
was  the  crowning  mercy  of  her  life.  Had  she  survived  the  attack 
of  the  fever  which  proved  fatal,  it  is  true  that  she  might  have 
seen  him  exalted  still  higher,  to  that  station  which  her  husband 
and  his  father  had  held  before  him  ;  but  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  her  satisfaction  would  have  been  at  all  enhanced.  The 
commencement  "of  Mr.  Monroe's  administration  was  marked  by  a 
unanimity  of  the  popular  voice,  the  more  gratifying  to  her  be 
cause  it  was  something  so  new.  Later  times  have  only  carried 
us  back  to  party  divisions,  of  the  bitterness  of  which  she  had 
during  her  lifetime  tasted  too  largely  to  relish  even  the  little  of 
sweet  which  they  might  have  to  give. 

The  obsequies  of  Mrs.  Adams  were  attended  by  a  great  con 
course  of  people,  who  voluntarily  came  to  pay  this  last  tribute 
to  her  memory.  Several  brief  but  beautiful  notices  of  her  ap 
peared  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  and  a  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  late  Reverend  Dr.  Kirkland,  then  President  of 
Harvard  University,  which  closed  with  a  delicate  and  affecting 


XXX  MEMOIR. 

testimony  to  her  worth.  "  Ye  will  seek  to  mourn,  bereaved 
friends,"  it  says,  "  as  becomes  Christians,  in  a  manner  worthy 
of  the  person  you  lament.  You  'do,  then,  bless  the  Giver  of 
life,  that  the  course  of  your  endeared  and  honored  friend  was 
so  long  and  so  bright  ;  that  she  entered  so  fully  into  the  spirit 
of  those  injunctions  which  we  have  explained,  and  was  a  min 
ister  of  blessings  to  all  within  her  influence.  You  are  soothed 
to  reflect  that  she  was  sensible  of  the  many  tokens  of  divine 
goodness  which  marked  her  lot ;  that  she  received  the  good  of 
her  existence  with  a  cheerful  arid  grateful  heart ;  that,  when 
called  to  weep,  she  bore  adversity  with  an  equal  mind  ;  that 
she  used  the  world  as  not  abusing  it  to  excess,  improving  well 
her  time,  talents,  and  opportunities,  and,  though  desired  longer 
in  this  world,  was  fitted  for  a  better  happiness  than  this  world 
can  give." 

It  often  happens  that  when  the  life  of  a  woman  is  the  topic 
of  discussion,  men  think  it  necessary  either  to  fall  into  a  tone 
of  affected  gallantry  and  unmeaning  compliment  or  to  assume 
the  extreme  of  unnatural  and  extravagant  eulogy.  Yet  there 
seems  no  reason,  in  the  nature  of  things,  why  the  same  laws  of 
composition  should  not  be  made  to  apply  to  the  one  sex  as  to 
the  other.  It  has  been  the  wish  of  the  Editor  to  avoid  what 
ever  might  be  considered  as  mere  empty  praise  of  his  subject, 
in  which,  if  he  has  not  altogether  succeeded,  some  allowance 
may,  it  is  hoped,  be  made  for  the  natural  bias  under  which  he 
writes.  It  has  been  his  purpose  to  keep  far  within  the  line 
marked  out  by  the  great  master  of  composition,  who,  in  allu 
sion  to  the  first  instance  in  Rome  when  a  woman,  Popilia,  was 
publicly  praised  by  her  son  Catulus,  defines  the  topics  which 
may  be  treated  with  propriety  upon  any  similar  occasion.1  He 
does  not  claim  for  the  letters  now  published  to  the  world  that 
they  are  models  of  style,  though  in  behalf  of  some  of  them 

1  "  Ex  his  enim  fontibus,  unde  omnia  ornate  dicendi  prsecepta  sumuntur, 
licebit  etiam  laudationem  ornare,  neque  ilia  elementa  desiderare  ;  quae  ut 
nemo  tradat,  quis  est,  qui  nesciat,  quae  sint  in  homine  laudanda  V  Positis  enim 
iis  rebus,  quas  Crassus  in  illius  orationis  suae.  quam  contra  collegam  censor 
babuit,  principio  dixit  :  '  Quae  natura  aut  fortuna  darentur  houu'nibus,  in  Us 
rebus  vinci  posse  animo  tpquopati:  quoc  ipsi  sibi  homines  parare  ]K>ssent,  in  us 
rebus  se  pati  vinci  non  posse  ;  '  qui  laudabit  quempiam,  intelliget,  exponenda 
sibi  esse  fortunae  bona.  Ea  sunt,  generis,  pecuniae,  propinquorum,  amicorum, 
opuni,  valetudinis,  fonnae,  virium,  ingenii,  caaterarumque  rerum,  qua:  sunt  aut 
corporis,  aut  extranese:  si  habuerit,  bene  bis  usum:  si  non  habuerit,  sapienter 
caruisse:  si  amiserit,  moderate  tulisse.  Deinde,  quid  sapienter  is,  quern  lau- 
det,  quid  liberaliter,  quid  fortiter,  quid  juste,  quid  magnifice,  quid  pie,  quid 
grate,  quid  humaniter,  quid  denique  cum  aliqua  virtute,  aut  fecerit  aut  tuleril." 
—  Cicero,  de  Oratore,  II.  11. 


MEMOIR.  xxxi 

sucli  a  claim  might,  perhaps,  be  reasonably  urged  ;  nor  yet 
that  they  contain  much  novel  or  important  historical  informa 
tion.  What  merit  they  may  have  will  be  found  in  the  pictures 
of  social  life  which  they  present,  during  a  period  daily  becoming 
more  interesting  as  it  recedes  from  us,  and  in  the  high  moral 
and  religious  tone  which  uniformly  pervades  them.  They  are 
here  given  to  the  public  exactly  as  they  were  written,  with  only 
those  corrections  or  omissions  which  were  absolutely  necessary 
either  to  perfect  the  sense  or  to  avoid  subjects  exclusively  per- 
sonal.  It  was  the  habit  of  the  writer  to  make  first  a  rou"-h 

O 

draft  of  what  she  intended  to  say,  and  from  this  to  form  a  fair 
copy  for  her  correspondent ;  but  in  the  process  she  altered  so 
much  of  the  original  that,  in  every  instance  where  the  two 
have  been  compared,  they  are  by  no  means  the  same  thing.- 
Only  in  one  or  two  cases,  and  for  particular  reasons,  has  the 
loss  of  the  real  letter  been  supplied  by  the  first  draft.  The 
principal  difference  between  them  ordinarily  is  that  the  former 
is  much  the  most  full.  Frequently,  it  will  be  seen  that  she  did 
not  copy,  the  task  being,  as  she  testifies  in  the  postscript,  ex 
tremely  irksome  to  her. 

The  value  attached  to  her  letters  by  some  of  her  correspond 
ents,  even  during  her  lifetime,  was  so  considerable  that  it 
produced  from  one  of  them,  the  late  Judge  Yanderkemp,  of 
New  York,  a  request  that  a  collection  should  then  be  made  for 
publication.  In  allusion  to  this,  Mrs.  Adams  writes  in  a  note 
to  a  female  friend,  — 

"  The  President  has  a  letter  from  Vanderkemp,  in  which  he 
proposes  to  have  him  send  a  collection  of  my  letters  to  publish  1 
A  pretty  figure  I  should  make.  No.  No.  I  have  not  any 
ambition  to  appear  in  print.  Heedless  and  inaccurate  as  I  am,  I 
have  too  much  vanity  to  risk  my  reputation  before  the  public." 

And  on  the  same  day  she  replies  to  Judge  Vanderkemp  as 
follows :  — 

"  Quincy,  24  January,  1818. 

"  MY  DKAR  SIR,  —  When  President  Monroe  was  in  Boston, 
upon  his  late  tour,  encompassed  by  citizens,  surrounded  by  the 
military,  harassed  by  invitations  to  parties  and  applications  in~ 
numerable  for  office,  some  gentleman  asked  him  if  he  was  not 
completely  worn  out  ?  To  which  he  replied,  '  Oh  no.  A  little 
flattery  will  support  a  man  through  great  fatigue.'  I  may  apply 
the  observation  to  myself,  and  say  that  the  flattery  in  your 
letter  leads  me  to  break  through  the  aversion,  which  is  daily 
increasing  upon  me,  to  writing. 


xxxii  MEMOIR. 

"  You  terrify  me,  my  dear  sir,  when  you  ask  for  letters  of 
mine  to  publish.  It  is  true  that  Dr.  Disney,  to  whom  the 
late  Mr.  Hollis  bequeathed  his  property,  found  amongst  his 
papers  some  letters  from  the  President  and  from  me,  which  he 
asked  permission  to  publish.  We  had  both  forgotten  the  con 
tents  of  them,  but  left  them  to  his  judgment  to  do  with  them 
as  he  pleased,  and  accordingly  he  published  some  of  them. 
One  other  letter  to  my  son,  when  he  first  went  to  France  in 
the  year  1778,  by  some  means  or  other  was  published  in  an 
English  magazine ;  and  those,  I  believe,  are  all  the  mighty 
works  of  mine  which  ever  have,  or  will,  by  my  consent,  ap 
pear  before  the  public.  Style  I  never  studied.  My  language  is 

"  «  Warm  from  the  heart  and  faithful  to  its  fires,' 

the  spontaneous  effusions  of  friendship.  As  such  I  tender 
them  to  Mr.  Vanderkemp,  sure  of  his  indulgence,  since  I  make 
no  pretensions  to  the  character  which  he  professes  to  fear,  that 
of  a  learned  lady." 

These  observations  are  strictly  true.  To  learning,  in  the  or 
dinary  sense  of  that  term,  Mrs.  Adams  could  make  no  claim. 
Her  reading  had  been  extensive  in  the  lighter  departments  of 
literature,  and  she  was  well  acquainted  with  the  poets  in  her 
own  language  ;  but  it  went  no  further.  It  is  the  soul,  shining 
through  the  words,  that  gives  to  them  their  great  attraction  ; 
the  spirit,  ever  equal  to  the  occasion,  whether  a  great  or  a 
small  one,  —  a  spirit  inquisitive  and  earnest  in  the  little  de 
tails  of  life,  as  when  she  was  in  France  and  England,  playful 
when  she  describes  daily  duties,1  but  rising  to  the  call  when 
the  roar  of  cannon  is  in  her  ears,2  or  when  she  reproves  her 
husband  for  not  knowing  her  better  than  to  think  her  a  coward, 
and  to  fear  telling  her  bad  news,3  or  when  she  warns  her  son 
that  she  "  would  rather  he  had  found  his  grave  in  the  ocean,  or 
that  any  untimely  death  should  crop  him  in  his  infant  years, 
than  see  him  an  immoral,  profligate,  or  graceless  child."  4 

It  was  the  fortune  of  the  Editor  to  know  the  subject  of  his 
Memoir  only  during  the  last  year  of  her  life,  and  when  he  was 
too  young  fully  to  comprehend  the  beauty  of  her  character ;  but 
it  will  be  a  source  of  unceasing  gratification  to  him,  as  long  as 
he  may  live,  that  he  has  been  permitted  to  pay  this  tribute,  how 
ever  inadequate,  to  her  memory. 

1  Page  57.  2  Pages  130-141.  3  Page  309.  *  Page  335. 


FAMILIAR  LET 


JOHN  ADAMS  AND  HIS  WIFE. 


7 

i.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Boston,  12  May,  1774. 

I  AM  extremely  afflicted  with  the  relation  your  father 
gave  me  of  the  return  of  your  disorder.  ,  I  fear  you  have 
taken  some  cold.  We  have  had  a  most  pernicious  air  a 
great  part  of  this  spring.  I  am  sure  1  h&Ve  reason  to  re 
member  it.  My  cold  is  the  most  obstinate  and  threaten 
ing  one  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  However,  1  am  unwearied 
in  my  endeavors  to  subdue  it,  and  have  the  pleasure  to 
think  I  have  had  some  success.  I  rise  at  five,  walk  three 
miles,  keep  the  air  all  day,  and  walk  again  in  the  after 
noon.  These  walks  have  done  me  more  good  than  any 
thing.  My  own  infirmities,  the  account  of  the  return  of 
yours,  and  the  public  news  l  coming  altogether  have  put 
my  utmost  philosophy  to  the  trial. 

1  Four  of  the  spring  fleet  of  merchant  ships,  designated  in  the  newspapers 
according  to  custom,  only  by  the  names  of  their  respective  commanders, 
Shayler,  Lyde,  Maratt,  and  Scott,  had  just  arrived.  They  brought  accounts 
of  the  effect  upon  the  mother  country  of  the  destruction  of  the  tea.  The 
ministry  had  carried  through  Parliament  their  system  of  repressive  measures: 
the  Boston  Port  Bill,  the  revision  of  the  charter,  materially  impairing  its  popu 
lar  features,  and  the  act  to  authorize  the  removal  of  trials  in  certain  cases  to 
Great  Britain.  General  Gage,  the  commander-in-chief  of  his  Majesty's  forces 
in  America,  appointed  Governor  to  execute  the  new  policy,  —  in  the  place  of 
Hutchinson,  who  had  asked  leave  of  absence,  —  was  on  his  way,  and  arrived  in 
big  Majesty's  ship  Lively,  Captain  Bishop,  in  twenty-six  days  from  London, 
on  the  13th,  the  day  after  the  date  of  this  letter. 
1 


2  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  JJune, 

We  live,  nr\  5ar  soul,  in  an  age  of  trial.  What  will 
be  the  conseq.tr.tce,  I  know  not.  The  town  of  Boston, 
for  aught  I  car/  -e,  must  suffer  martyrdom.  It  must  ex 
pire.  Aiv1  principal  consolation  is,  that  it  dies  in  a 
noble  r  —  the  cause  of  truth,  of  virtue,  of  liberty,  and 
^f  i  -'Jty,  and  that  it  will  probably  have  a  glorious  res- 
:ion  to  greater  wealth,  splendor,  and  power,  than  ever. 

Let  me  know  what  is  best  for  us  to  do.  It  is  expensive 
keeping  a  family  here,  and  there  is  no  prospect  of  any 
business  in  my  way  in  this  town  this  whole  summer.  I 
don't  receive  a  shilling  a  week.  We  must  contrive  as 
many  ways  as  we  can  to  save  expenses  ;  for  we  may  have 
calls  to  contribute  very  largely,  in  proportion  to  our  cir 
cumstances,  to  prevent  other  very  honest  worthy  people 
from  suffering  for  want,  besides  our  own  loss  in  point  of 
business  and  profit. 

Don't  imagine  from  all  this  that  I  am  in  the  dumps. 
Far  otherwise.  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  felt  more 
spirits  and  activity  since  the  arrival  of  this  news  than  I 
had  done  before  for  years.  I  look  upon  this  as  the  last 
effort  of  Lord  North's  despair,  and  he  will  as  surely  be 
defeated  in  it,  as  he  was  in  the  project  of  the  tea. 
I  am,  with  great  anxiety  for  your  health, 

Your  JOHN  ADAMS. 

2.  JOHK  ADAMS. 

York,i  29  June,  1774. 

I  HAVE  a  great  deal  of  leisure,  which  I  chiefly  employ 
in  scribbling,  that  my  mind  may  not  stand  still  or  run  back, 
like  my  fortune.  There  is  very  little  business  here,  and 
David  Sewall,  David  Wyer,  John  Sullivan  and  James  Sul 
livan,  and  Theophilus  Bradbury,  are  the  lawyers  who  at 
tend  the  inferior  courts,  and  consequently,  conduct  the 
causes  at  the  superior. 

I  find  that  the  country  is  the  situation  to  make  estates 
by  the  law.  John  Sullivan,  who  is  placed  at  Durham  in 
New  Hampshire,  is  younger  both  in  years  and  practice 

1  In  Maine,  at  this  time  and  long  afterwards  a  part  of  Massachusetts.  Law 
yers  were  in  the  habit  of  following  the  circuit  in  those  days. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  3 

than  I  am.  He  began  with  nothing,  but  is  now  said  to 
be  worth  ten  thousand  pounds  lawful  money,  his  brother 
James  allows  five  or  six  or  perhaps  seven  thousand  pounds, 
consisting  in  houses  and  lands,  notes,  bonds,  and  mort 
gages.  He  has  a  fine  stream  of  water,  with  an  excellent 

DO  ' 

corn  mill,  saw  mill,  fulling  mill,  scythe  mill,  and  others,  in 
all  six  mills,  which  are  both  his  delight  and  his  profit.  As 
he  has  earned  cash  in  his  business  at  the  bar,  he  has  taken 
opportunities  to  purchase  farms  of  his  neighbors,  who  wanted 
to  sell  and  move  out  farther  into  the  woods,  at  an  advanta 
geous  rate,  and  in  this  way  has  been  growing  rich ;  under 
the  smiles  and  auspices  of  Governor  Wentworth,  he  has 
been  promoted  in  the  civil  and  military  way,  so  that  he  is 
treated  with  great  respect  in  this  neighborhood.1 

James  Sullivan,  brother  of  the  other,  who  studied  law 
under  him,  without  any  academical  education  (and  John 
was  in  the  same  case),  is  fixed  at  Saco,  alias  Biddeford,  in 
our  province.  He  began  with  neither  learning,  books,  es 
tate,  nor  anything  but  his  head  and  hands,  and  is  now  a 
very  popular  lawyer  and  growing  rich  very  fast,  purchasing 
great  farms,  etc.,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  member 
of  the  General  Court. 

David  Sewall,  of  this  town,  never  practices  out  of  this 
county  ;  has  no  children  ;  has  no  ambition  nor  avarice,  they 
say  (however,  quaere).  His  business  in  this  county  main 
tains  him  very  handsomely,  and  he  gets  beforehand. 

Bradbury,  at  Falmouth,  they  say,  grows  rich  very  fast. 

I  was  first  sworn  in  1758.  My  life  has  been  a  contin 
ual  scene  of  fatigue,  vexation,  labor,  and  anxiety.  I  have 
four  children.  I  had  a  pretty  estate  from  my  father  ;  I 

1  All  the  persons  named  in  this  letter  reached  eminence,  both  professional 
and  political,  in  Massachusetts. 

Of  John  and  James  Sullivan  much  information  has  been  furnished  in  the 
memoir  of  the  latter  by  Mr.  T.  C.  Amory. 

David  Sewall,  a  classmate  of  John  Adams  at  Harvard  College,  was  made  a 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  afterwards  transferred  to 
the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  Maine.  He  died  in  1825  at  a  very 
advanced  age. 

Theophilus  Bradbury  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  the  year  1757.  He 
served  as  a  representative  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  in  the  fifth 
Congress,  and  afterwards  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Mas- 
»achusetts.  He  died  in  1803. 


4  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

have  been  assisted  by  your  father ;  I  have  done  the  great 
est  business  in  the  province  ;  I  have  had  the  very  richest 
clients  in  the  province.  Yet  I  am  poor,  in  comparison  with 
others. 

This,  I  confess,  is  grievous  and  discouraging.  I  ought, 
however,  to  be  candid  enough  to  acknowledge  that  I  have 
been  imprudent.  I  have  spent  an  estate  in  books.  I  have 
spent  a  sum  of  money  indiscreetly  in  a  lighter,  another  in 
a  pew,  and  a  much  greater  in  a  house  in  Boston.  These 
would  have  been  indiscretions,  if  the  impeachment  of  the 
| Judges,  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  etc.,  etc.,  had  never  happened ; 
.but  by  the  unfortunate  interruption  of  my  business  from 
these  causes,  those  indiscretions  became  almost  fatal  to  me; 
,to  be  sure,  much  more  detrimental. 

John  Lowell,  at  Newburyport,  has  built  himself  a  house 
like  the  palace  of  a  nobleman,  and  lives  in  great  splendor. 
His  business  is  very  profitable.  In  short,  every  lawyer 
who  has  the  least  appearance  of  abilities  makes  it  do  in 
the  country.  In  town,  nobody  does,  or  ever  can,  who  either 
is  not  obstinately  determined  never  to  have  any  connection 
with  politics,  or  does  not  engage  on  the  side  of  the  Govern 
ment,  the  Administration,  and  the  Court.1 

Let  us,  therefore,  my  dear  partner,  from  that  affection 
which  we  feel  for  our  lovely  babes,  apply  ourselves,  by 
every  way  we  can,  to  the  cultivation  of  our  farm.  Let 
frugality  and  industry  be  our  virtues,  if  they  are  not  of 
any  others.  And  above  all  cares  of  this  life,  let  our  ar 
dent  anxiety  be  to  mould  the  minds  and  manners  of  our 
children.  Let  us  teach  them  not'  only  to  do  virtuously, 
but  to  excel.  To  excel,  they  must  >e  taught  to  be  steady, 
active,  and  industrious. 

1  Mr.  Lowell  signed  the  address  to  Governor  Hutchinson,  in  common  with 
most  of  the  members  of  the  bar.  But  he  had  studied  his  profession  in  the 
office  of  Oxenbridge  Thacher,  and  did  not  forget  his  master's  principles.  In 
the  Revolutionary  struggle  he  took  his  side  with  his  countrymen,  and  labored 
faithfully  for  the  cause.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Congress  of  the  Confedera 
tion,  during  the  war,  was  most  efficient  in  the  convention  which  matured  the 
Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  and  finally  served  with  great  credit  as  Judge  of 
Appeals  in  admiralty  causes  before,  and  as  the  first  judge  of  the  District  Court 
of  the  United  States  for  Massachusetts,  after  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Con 
stitution. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  5 

3.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

York,  June  30,  1774. 

I  HAVE  nothing  to  do  here  but  to  take  the  air,  inquire 
for  news,  talk  politics,  and  write  letters. 

I  "regret  that  I  cannot  have  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  this 
fine  weather  with  my  family,  and  upon  my  farm.  Oh,  how 
often  am  I  there  !  I  have  but  a  dull  prospect  before  me. 
I  have  no  hope  of  reaching  Braintree  under  a  fortnight 
from  this  day,  if  I  should  in  twenty  days. 

I  regret  my  absence  from  the  county  of  Suffolk  this  week 
on  another  account.  If  I  was  there,  I  could  converse 
with  the  gentlemen  *  who  are  bound  with  me  to  Philadel 
phia  ;  I  could  turn  the  course  of  my  reading  and  studies 
to  such  subjects  of  Law,  and  Politics,  and  Commerce,  as 
may  come  in  play  at  the  Congress.  I  might  be  furbishing 
up  my  old  reading  in  Law  and  History,  that  I  might  ap 
pear  with  less  indecency  before  a  variety  of  gentlemen, 
whose  educations,  travels,  experience,  family,  fortune,  and 
everything  will  give  them  a  vast  superiority  to  me,  and  I 
fear  even  to  some  of  my  companions. 

This  town  of  York  is  a  curiosity,  in  several  views.  The 
people  here  are  great  idolaters  of  the  memory  of  their 
former  minister,  Mr.  Moody.  Dr.  Sayward  says,  and  the 
rest  of  them  generally  think,  that  Mr.  Moody  was  one  of  the 
greatest  men  and  best  saints  who  have  lived  since  the  days 
of  the  Apostles.  He  had  an  ascendency  and  authority 
over  the  people  here,  as  absolute  as  that  of  any  prince  in 
Europe,  not  excepting  his  Holiness.2 

This  he  acquired  by  a  variety  of  means.  In  the  first 
place,  he  settled  in  the  place  without  any  contract.  His 
professed  principle  was  that  no  man  should  be  hired  to 
preach  the  gospel,  but  that  the  minister  should  depend 
upon  the  charity,  generosity,  and  benevolence  of  the 

1  Thirteen  days  before,  the  writer  had  been  chosen  with  four  others,  J.  Bow- 
doin,  \V.  Gushing,  Samuel  Adams,  and  R.  T.  Paine,  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  for 
the  purpose  of  meeting  delegates  of  other  colonies  for  consultation. 

2  Samuel  Moody,  born  in  1675,  graduated  at  Cambridge  in  1697,  and  died 
in  1747 ;  one  of  a  class  peculiar  to  colonial  times,  the  like  of  whom  are  no 
longer  to  be  found  in  the  rural  districts. 


6  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

people.  This  was  very  flattering  to  their  pride,  and 
left  room  for  their  ambition  to  display  itself  in  an  emula 
tion  among  them  which  should  be  most  bountiful  and  min 
isterial. 

In  the  next  place,  he  acquired  the  character  of  firm  trust 
in  Providence.  A  number  of  gentlemen  came  in  one  day, 
when  they  had  nothing  in  the  house.  His  wife  was  very 
anxious,  they  say,  and  asked  him  what  they  should  do. 
"  Oh,  never  fear  ;  trust  Providence,  make  a  fire  in  the 
oven,  and  you  will  have  something."  Very  soon  a  variety 
of  everything  that  was  good  was  sent  in,  and  by  one  o'clock 
they  had  a  splendid  dinner. 

He  had  also  the  reputation  of  enjoying  intimate  com 
munication  with  the  Deity,  and  of  having  a  great  interest 
in  the  Court  of  Heaven  by  his  prayers. 

He  always  kept  his  musket  in  order,  and  was  fond  of  hunt 
ing.  On  a  time,  they  say,  he  was  out  of  provisions.  There 
came  along  two  wild  geese.  He  takes  gun  and  cries,  "  If  it 
please  God  I  kill  both,  I  will  send  the  fattest  to  the  poor 
est  person  in  this  parish."  He  shot,  and  killed  both ;  or 
dered  them  plucked,  and  then  sent  the  fattest  to  a  poor 
widow,  leaving  the  other,  which  was  a  very  poor  one,  at 
home,  —  to  the  great  mortification  of  his  lady.  But  his 
maxim  was,  Perform  unto  the  Lord  thy  vow. 

But  the  best  story  I  have  heard  yet  was  his  doctrine  in 
a  sermon  from  this  text :  "  Lord,  what  shall  we  do  ?  "- 
The  doctrine  was  that  when  a  person  or  people  are  in  a 
state  of  perplexity,  and  know  not  what  to  do,  they  ought 
never  to  do  they  know  not  what.  This  is  applicable  to 
the  times. 

He  brought  his  people  into  a  remarkable  submission  and 
subjection  to  their  spiritual  rulers,  which  continues  to  this 
day.  Their  present  parson  does  and  says  what  he  pleases, 
is  a  great  Tory,  and  as  odd  as  Moody. 

4.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

York,  1  July,  1774. 

I  am  so  idle  that  I  have  not  an  easy  moment  without 
my  pen  in  my  hand.  My  time  might  have  been  improved 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  7 

to  some  purpose  in  mowing  grass,  raking  hay,  or  hoeing 
corn,  weeding  carrots,  picking  or  shelling  pease.  Much  bet 
ter  should  I  have  been  employed  in  schooling  my  children, 
in  teaching  them  to  write,  cipher,  Latin,  French,  English, 
and  Greek. 

I  sometimes  think  I  must  come  to  this  —  to  be  the  fore 
man  upon  my  own  farm  and  the  schoolmaster  to  my  own 
children.  I  confess  myself  to  be  full  of  fears  that  the  min 
istry  and  their,  friends  and  instruments  will  prevail,  and 
crush  the  cause  and  friends  of  liberty.  The  minds  of  that 
party  are  so  filled  with  prejudices  against  me  that  they  will 
take  all  advantages,  and  do  me  all  the  damage  they  can. 
These  thoughts  have  their  turns  in  my  mind,  but  in  general 
my  hopes  are  predominant. 

Dr.  Gardiner,  arrived  here  to-day  from  Boston,  brings  us 
news  of  a  battle  at  the  town  meeting,  between  Whigs  and 
Tories,  in  which  the  Whigs,  after  a  day  and  a  half's  obsti 
nate  engagement,  were  finally  victorious  by  two  to  one.  He 
says  the  Tories  are  preparing  a  flaming  protest. 

I  am  determined  to  be  cool,  if  I  can.  I  have  suffered 
such  torments  in  my  mind  heretofore  as  have  almost  over 
powered  my  constitution,  without  any  advantage.  And  now 
I  will  laugh  and  be  easy  if  I  can,  let  the  contest  of  parties 
terminate  as  it  will,  let  my  own  estate  and  interest  suffer 
what  it  will,  nay,  whether  I  stand  high  or  low  in  the 
estimation  of  the  world,  so  long  as  I  keep  a  conscience 
void  of  offense  towards  God  and  man.  And  this  I  am  de 
termined  by  the  will  of  God  to  do,  let  what  will  become 
of  me  or  mine,  my  country  or  the  world. 

I  shall  arouse  myself  erelong,  I  believe,  and  exert  an* 
industry,  a  frugality,  a  hard  labor,  that  will  serve  my  fam 
ily,  if  I  can't  serve  my  country.  I  will  not  lie  down  in 
despair.  If  I  cannot  serve  my  children  by  the  law,  I  will 
serve  them  by  agriculture,  by  trade,  by  some  way  or  other. 
I  thank  God  I  have  a  head,  and  heart,  and  hands,  which, 
if  once  fully  exerted  altogether,  will  succeed  in  the  world 
as  well  as  those  of  the  mean-spirited,  low-minded,  fawning, 
obsequious  scoundrels  who  have  long  hoped  that  my  integ 
rity  would  be  an  obstacle  in  my  way,  and  enable  them  to 
outstrip  me  in  the  race. 


8  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

But  what  I  want  in  comparison  of  them  of  villainy  and 
servility,  I  will  make  up  in  industry  and  capacity.  If  I  don't, 
they  shall  laugh  and  triumph.  I  will  not  willingly  see 
blockheads,  whom  I  have  a  right  to  despise,  elevated  above 
me  and  insolently  triumphing  over  me.  Nor  shall  knav 
ery,  through  any  negligence  of  mine,  get  the  better  of 
honesty,  nor  ignorance  of  knowledge,  nor  folly  of  wisdom, 
nor  vice  of  virtue. 

I  must  entreat  you,  my  dear  partner  in  all  the  joys  and 
sorrows,  prosperity  and  adversity  of  my  life,  to  take  a  part 
with  me  in  the  struggle.  I  pray  God  for  your  health  — 
entreat  you  to  rouse  your  whole  attention  to  the  family, 
the  stock,  the  farm,  the  dairy.  Let  every  article  of  ex 
pense  which  can  possibly  be  spared  be  retrenched  ;  keep  the 
hands  attentive  to  their  business,  and  the  most  prudent 
measures  of  every  kind  be  adopted  and  pursued  with  alac 
rity  and  spirit. 

5.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

York,  2  July,  1774. 

I  HAVE  concluded  to  mount  my  horse  to-morrow  morn 
ing  at  four,  and  ride  to  Wells  to  hear  my  old  worthy, 
learned,  ingenious  friend  Hemmenway,  whom  I  never 
was  yet  so  happy  as  to  hear.  Mr.  Winthrop  agrees  to  be 
my  company.  Wells  is  about  fifteen  miles  from  this  place  ; 
from  thence  we  propose  to  ride  after  the  evening  service  is 
over  to  Saco,  i.  e.,  Biddeford,  which  is  about  thirty  miles  from 
here.,  which  will  leave  us  an  easy  journey  to  Falmouth  for 
Monday. 

Mr.  Winthrop  tells  me  that  he  has  heard  the  late  Gov 
ernor  Hutchinson,  while  he  was  Chief  Justice,  frequently 
say  for  seven  years  together,  that  Salem  was  the  most 
proper,  convenient,  and  suitable  place  in  the  province  for 
the  seat  of  government ;  that  he  frequently  complimented 
the  gentlemen  of  Salem  with  the  happiness  and  conven 
ience  of  their  situation  for  the  seat  of  government,  and 
with  his  prophecies  that  it  would  certainly  be  made  such 
in  a  course  of  years.  I  mentioned  this  to  Judge  Trow- 
bridge,  and  he  told  me  that  he  himself  remembered  to 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  9 

have  heard  him  say  the  same  thing.  I  am  very  much 
mistaken  if  I  have  not  heard  him  say  so  too.  And  I  re 
member  I  happened  to  be  with  Kent  when  he  carried  to 
Judge  Lynde  his  commission  as  Chief  Justice,  and  Judge 
Lynde  entertained  me  for  some  time  with  conversation 
about  making  Salem  the  seat  of  government,  and  with  the 
probable  effects  of  such  a  measure  ;  one  of  which  he  said 
would  be  a  translation  of  a  great  part  of  the  trade  from 
Boston  to  Salem.  But  he  said  he  did  not  want  to  have 
troops  in  Salem. 

Now  let  any  one  who  knows  these  anecdotes  judge  who 
was  the  suggester,  planner,  and  promoter  of  this  wrong- 
headed  and  iniquitous  measure. 

I  write  you  this  tittle-tattle,  my  dear,  in  confidence. 
You  must  keep  these  letters  to  yourself,  and  communicate 
them  with  great  caution  and  reserve.  I  should  advise 
you  to  put  them  up  safe  and  preserve  them.  They  may 
\  exhibit  to  our  posterity  a  kind  of  picture  of  the  manners, 
opinions,  and  principles  of  these  times  of  perplexity,  dan 
ger,  and  distress. 

Deacon  Sayward  said  at  table  this  week  in  my  hearing 
that  there  was  but  one  point  in  which  he  differed  in  opin 
ion  from  the  late  Governor  Hutchinson,  and  that  was  with 
regard  to  the  reality  of  witchcraft  and  the  existence  of 
witches.  The  Governor,  he  said,  would  not  allow  there 
was  any  such  thing.  The  Deacon  said  he  was  loath  to  differ 
from  him  in  anything ;  he  had  so  great  a  regard  for  him 
and  his  opinions,  that  he  was  willing  to  give  up  almost 
everything  rather  than  differ  with  him.  But  in  this  he 
could  not  see  with  him. 

Such  is  the  cant  of  this  artful,  selfish,  hypocritical 
man. 

Pray  remember  me  to  my  dear  little  babes,  whom  I 
long  to  see  running  to  meet  me  and  climb  up  upon  me  un 
der  the  smiles  of  their  mother. 


10  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

6.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Littlefield's,  at  Wells,  3  July,  1774. 

MR.  WINTHROP,  Mr.  Quincy,  and  I  came  this  morning 
from  York  before  breakfast,  fifteen  miles,  in  order  to  hear 
my  learned  friend  Hemmenway.  Mr.  Quincy  brought  me 
a  letter  from  Williams,  in  which  he  lets  me  know  that  you 
and  the  family  were  well.  This  is  very  refreshing  news. 

Patten's,  at  Arundel,  4  July. 

We  went  to  meeting  at  Wells  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  my  friend  upon  "  Be  not  partakers  in  other  men's 
sins.      Keep    yourselves   pure."      Mr.   Hemmenway    came 
and  kindly  invited  us  to  dine,  but  we  had  engaged  a  din 
ner  at  Littlcfield's,  so  we  returned  there^dined,  and  took  our 
horses  to  meeting  in  the  afternoon  and  [heard  the  minister 
j  again    upon    "  Seek    first   the  kingdom   of    God    and   his 
j  righteousness,  and   all   these    things  shall  be    added   unto 
|  you."     There  is  a  great  pleasure   in  hearing  sermons  so 
serious,  so  clear,  so  sensible  and  instructive  as  these^J 

We  went  to  Mr.  Hemmenway's,  and  as  it  rained  a  lit 
tle  he  put  out  our  horses,  and  we  took  a  bed  with  him,  i.  e. 
Mr.  Winthrop  and  I. 

You  know  I  never  get  or  save  anything  by  cozening 
or  classmating.  So  I  gave  pistareens  enough  among 
the  children  and  servants  to  have  paid  twice  for  my  enter 
tainment. 

Josiah  Quincy,  always  impetuous  and  vehement,  would 
not  stop,  but  drove  forward ;  I  suppose,  that  he  might  get 
upon  the  fishing  ground  before  his  brother  Sam  and  me. 
I  find  that  the  divines  and  lawyers  this  way  are  all  Tories. 
Brother  Hemmenway  is  as  impartial  as  any  I  have  seen 
or  heard  of.  James  Sullivan  seems  half  inclined  to  be  a 
Whig. 

Mr.  Winthrop  has  been  just  making  some  observations 
which  I  think  worth  sending  to  you.  Upon  reading  an 

1  Thirty-six  years  afterwards  Mr.  Adams  wrote  of  the  same  person,  "  My 
affection  for  him,  which  began  when  we  first  entered  college,  has  continued  and 
increased  till  it  has  become  veneration." 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  11 

observation  in  the  Farmer's  fourth  letter,1  that  some  of  our 
(the  Massachusetts)  resolves  and  publications  had  better 
have  been  suppressed,  Mr.  Winthrop  said  that  many  things 
in  our  newspapers  ought  to  have  been  suppressed,  for  ex 
ample,  whenever  there  was  the  least  popular  commotion  or 
disturbance,  it  was  instantly  put  in  all  the  newspapers  in 
this  province.  But  in  all  the  other  provinces  they  took 
care  to  conceal  and  suppress  every  such  thing. 

Another  thing,  he  says  we  ought  to  avoid  all  paragraphs 
in  our  papers  about  our  own  manufactures,  especially  all 
vaporing  puffing  advertisements  about  them,  because  such 
paragraphs  only  tend  to  provoke  the  ministers,  merchants, 
and  manufacturers  in  England  to  confine  and  restrain  or 
prohibit  our  manufactures.  But  our  presses  in  Boston, 
Salem,  and  Newburyport  are  under  no  regulation,  nor  any 
judicious,  prudent  care.  Therefore  it  seems  impracticable 
to  keep  out  such  imprudences.  The  printers  are  hot,  in 
discreet  men,  and  they  are  under  the  influence  of  others 
as  hot,  rash,  and  injudicious  as  themselves,  very  often. 

For  my  own  part,  it  has  long  been  my,  resolution  to 
avoid  being  concerned  in  counseling,  or  aiding,  or  abetting 
tumult  or  disorder ;  to  avoid  all  exceptionable  scribbling 
in  the  newspaper  of  every  kind ;  to  avoid  all  passion  and 
personal  altercation  or  reflections.  I  have  found  it  diffi 
cult  to  keep  these  resolutions  exactly ;  all  but  the  last, 
however,  I  have  religiously  and  punctiliously  observed 
these  six  years. 

5  July,  Tuesday  Morning. 

Arrived  last  evening  at  Falmouth,  and  procured  a  new 
place  to  lodge  at,  Mrs.  Euston's.  Quincy  and  I  have 
taken  a  bed  together.  My  brother  Neg  Freeman  came 
to  pay  his  respects  to  me  and  to  invite  me  to  a  bed  in  his 
house  ;  but  I  was  fixed  before,  and  therefore  thanked  him 
and  excused  myself.  It  is  a  very  neat  house  where  we 
sleep.  The  desk  and  table  shine  like  mirrors.  The  floors 
are  clean  and  white  and  nicely  sanded,  etc. 

But  when  shall  I  get  home  ?  This  tedious  journey  will 
produce  me  very  little  profit.  I  never  saw  Falmouth  be- 
1  The  letters  of  John  Dickinson,  printed  under  that  name. 


12  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

fore  with  -  such  lean  expectations  and  empty  pockets.  I 
am  much  concerned  for  my  family.  These  Acts  of  Par 
liament  and  ministerial  manoeuvres  will  injure  me  both  in 
my  property  and  business  as  much  as  any  person  whatever 
in  proportion. 

7.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Falmouth,  5  July,  1774. 

I  CAN'T  be  easy  without  my  pen  in  my  hand,  yet  I 
know  not  what  to  write. 

I  have  this  morning  heard  a  dialogue  between  Will 
Gardiner  and  a  Captain  Pote,  of  Falmouth.  Gardiner  says 
he  can't  subscribe  the  non-consumption  agreement  because 
he  has  a  hundred  men  coming  from  England  to  settle  upon 
Kennebeck  River,  and  he  must  supply  them,  which  he  can't 
do  without  English  goods.  That  agreement  he  says  may 
do  at  Boston,  but  not  in  the  Eastern  country.  Pote  said 
he  never  would  sign  it,  and  railed  away  at  Boston  mobs, 
drowning  tea,  and  tarring  Malcom. 

James  Sullivan  at  dinner  told  us  a  story  or  two.  One 
member  of  the  General  Court,  he  said,  as  they  came  down 
stairs  after  their  dissolution  at  Salem  said  to  him,  "  Though 
we  are  killed,  we  died  scrabbling,  did  not  we  ?  " 

This  is  not  very  witty,  I  think. 

Another  story  was  of  a  piece  of  wit  of  brother  Porter, 
of  Salem.  He  came  upon  the  floor  and  asked  a  mem 
ber,  "  What  state  are  you  in  now  ?  "  The  member  an 
swered,  "  In  a  state  of  nature."  "  Aye,"  says  Porter,  "  and 
you  will  be  damned  before  you  will  get  into  a  state  of 
grace." 

6  July. 

1 1  spent  an  hour  last  evening  at  Mr.  Wyer's,  with  Judge 
Gushing.  Wyer's  father,  who  has  a  little  place  in  the  cus 
toms,  came  in.  He  began  upon  politics,  and  told  us  that 
Mr.  Smith  had  a  fast  last  week  which  he  attended.  Mr. 
Gilman  preached,  he  said,  part  of  the  day,  and  told  them 
that  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  land  were  in  conse 
quence  of  the  mobs  and  riots  which  had  prevailed  in  the 
country ;  and  then  turning  to  me  old  Wyer  said,  "  What 
do  you  think  of  that,  Mr.  Adams  ?  " 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  13 

I  answered,  "  I  can't  say  but  mobs  and  violence  may 
have  been  one  cause  of  our  calamities.  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  they  do  come  in  for  a  share;  but  there  are 
many  other  causes.  Did  not  Mr.  Oilman  mention  bribery 
and  corruption  as  another  cause  ?  He  ought  to  have  been 
impartial,  and  pointed  out  the  venality  which  prevails  in 
the  land  as  a  cause,  as  well  as  tumults."  "  I  think  he  did," 
says  Wyer.  I  might  have  pursued  my  inquiry,  whether  he 
did  not  mention  universal  pilfering,  robbery,  and  picking 
of  pockets  which  prevails  in  the  land,  —  as  every  man's 
pocket  upon  the  continent  is  picked  every  day  by  taking 
from  him  duties  without  his  consent.  I  might  have  in 
quired  whether  he  mentioned  the  universal  spirit  of  de 
bauchery,  dissipation,  luxury,  effeminacy,  and  gaming, 
which  the  late  ministerial  measures  are  introducing,  etc., 
etc.,  etc.,  but  I  forbore. 

How  much  profaneness,  lewdness,  intemperance,  etc., 
have  been  introduced  by  the  army  and  navy  and  revenue ; 
how  much  servility,  venality,  artifice,  and  hypocrisy  have 
been  introduced  among  the  ambitious  and  avaricious  by 
the  British  politics  of  the  last  ten  years.  In  short  the  / 
original  faulty  causes  of  all  the  vices  which  have  been  i  / 
introduced  are  the  political  innovations  of  the  last  ten| 
years.  This  is  no  justification  and  a  poor  excuse  for  the 
girls  who  have  been  debauched,  and  for  the  injustice  which 
has  been  committed  in  some  riots  ;  but  surely  the  soldiers, 
sailors,  and  excisemen  who  have  occasioned  these  vices 
ought  not  to  reproach  those  they  have  corrupted.  These 
Tories  act  the  part  of  the  devil.  They  tempt  the  women 
into  sin  and  then  reproach  them  for  it,  and  become  soon 
their  tormentors  for  it.  A  tempter  and  tormentor  is  the 
character  of  the  devil.  Hutchinson,  Oliver,  and  others  of 
their  circle,  who  for  their  own  ends  of  ambition  and  avar 
ice  have  pursued,  promoted,  encouraged,  counseled,  aided, 
and  abetted  the  taxation  of  America,  have  been  the  real 
tempters  of  their  countrymen  and  women  into  all  the 
vices,  sins,  crimes,  and  follies  which  that  taxation  has  occa 
sioned.  And  now  by  themselves  and  their  friends,  depend-  | 
ents,  and  votaries,  they  are  reproaching  those  very  men 
and  women  with  those  vices  and  follies,  sins  and  crimes. 


14  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

There  is  not  a  sin  which  prevails  more  universally  and 
has  prevailed  longer  than  prodigality  in  furniture,  equi 
page,  apparel,  and  die,t.  And  I  believe  that  this  vice,  this 
sin,  has  as  large  a  share  in  drawing  down  the  judgments 
of  Heaven  as  any.  And  perhaps  the  punishment  that  is 
inflicted  may  worE  medicinally  and  cure  the  disease. 

8.  JOHN  ADAMS, 

r — .  'Falmouth,!  6  July,  1774. 

MOBS  are  the  trite  topic  of  declamation  and  invective 
among  all  the  ministerial  people  far  and  near.  They  are 
grown  universally  learned  in  the  nature,  tendency,  and  con 
sequences  of  them,  and  very  elegant  and  pathetic  in  des 
canting  upon  them.  They  are  sources  of  all  kinds  of 
evils,  vices,  and  crimes,  they  say.  They  give  rise  to  pro- 
faneness,  intemperance,  thefts,  robberies,  murders,  and  trea 
son.  Cursing,  swearing,  drunkenness,  gluttony,  lewdness, 
trespasses,  maims,  are  necessarily  involved  in  them  and  oc 
casioned  by  them.  Besides,  they  render  the  populace,  the 
rabble,  the  scum  of  the  earth,  insolent  and  disorderly,  im 
pudent  and  abusive.  They  give  rise  to  lying,  hypocrisy, 
chicanery,  and  even  perjury  among  the  people,  who  are 
driven  to  such  artifice  and  crimes  to  conceal  themselves  and 
their  companions  from  prosecutions  in  consequence  of  them. 

This  is  the  picture  drawn  by  the  Tory  pencil ;  and  ••  it 
must  be  granted  to  be  a  likeness.  But  this  is  declamation. 
What  consequence  is  to  be  drawn  from  this  description  ? 
Shall  we  submit  to  Parliamentary  taxation  to  avoid  mobs  ? 
Will  not  Parliamentary  taxation,  if  established,  occasion 
vices,  crimes,  and  follies  infinitely  more  numerous,  danger 
ous,  and  fatal  to  the  community  ?  Will  not  Parliamentary 
taxation,  if  established,  raise  a  revenue  unjustly  and  wrong 
fully  ?  If  this  revenue  is  scattered  by  the  hand  of  cor 
ruption  among  the  public  officers  and  magistrates  and 
rulers  in  the  community,  will  it  not  propagate  vices  more 
numerous,  more  malignant  and  pestilential  among  them? 
Will  it  not  render  magistrates  servile  and  fawning  to  their 
vicious  superiors,  and  insolent  and  tyrannical  to  their  in- 

1  The  ancient  name  of  Portland,  in  Maine,  at  this  period  a  part  of  the 
province  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 


1774.J  JOHN  ADAMS.  15 

feriors  ?  Are  insolence,  abuse,  and  impudence  more  toler 
able  in  a  magistrate  than  in  a  subject?  Are  they  not 
more  constantly  and  extensively  pernicious  ?  And  does 
not  the  example  of  vice  and  folly  in  magistrates  descend 
and  spread  downwards  among  the  people  ? 

Besides,  is  not  the  insolence  of  officers  and  soldiers  and 
seamen,  in  the  army  and  navy,  as  mischievous  as  that  of 
porters,  or  of  sailors  in  the  merchant  service  ?  Are  not 
riots  raised  and  made  by  armed  men  as  bad  as  those  by 
unarmed  ?  Is  not  an  assault  upon  a  civil  officer,  and  a 
rescue  of  a  prisoner  from  lawful  authority,  made  by  sol 
diers  with  swords  or  bayonets,  as  bad  as  if  made  by  trades 
men  with  staves  ? 

Are  not  the  killing  of  a  child  by  R.,1  and  the  slaughter 
of  half  a  dozen  citizens  by  a  party  of  soldiers,  as  bad  as 
pulling  down  a  house  or  drowning  a  cargo  of  tea,  even  if 
both  should  be  allowed  to  be  unlawful  ?  Parties  may  go 
on  declaiming,  but  it  is  not  easy  to  say  which  party  has 
excited  most  riots,  which  has  published  most  libels,  which 
has  propagated  most  slander  and  defamation  ?  Verbal 
scandal  has  been  propagated  in  great  abundance  by  both 
parties ;  but  there  is  this  difference,  that  one  party  have 
enjoyed  almost  all  public  offices,  and  therefore  their  def 
amation  has  been  spread  among  the  people  more  secretly, 
more  maliciously,  and  more  effectually.  It  has  gone  with 
greater  authority,  and  been  scattered  by  instruments  more 
industrious.  The  ministerial  newspapers  have  swarmed 
with  as  numerous  and  as  malicious  libels  as  the  antiminis- 

1  Ebenezer  Richardson.  The  affair  happened  on  the  22d  February,  1770, 
a  few  days  before  the  other  and  more  serious  disturbance  here  alluded  to,  com 
monly  known  as  the  Boston  massacre.  A  man  of  the  government  side,  by  the 
name  of  Lillie,  who  kept  a  shop  in  Hanover  Street,  finding  the  non-impor 
tation  agreement  not  universally  observed,  ventured  to  offer  his  stock  of 
goods  for  sale.  As  a  consequence,  his  shop  was  at  once  marked  out  in  the 
street  as  infringing  the  agreement,  and  a  board  set  up  on  which  a  hand  was 
drawn  for  the  purpose  of  arresting  attention  and  deterring  all  persons  from 
purchasing.  Richardson,  well  known  as  an  informer  attached  to  the  custom 
house,  who  lived  close  by,  came  out  and  attempted  to  get  rid  of  the  board. 
A  struggle  took  place.  The  mob  drove  him  back  to  his  house,  and  attacked 
it  with  stones.  He  then  fired  a  musket  twice,  killing  a  German  boy  eleven 
years  old,  by  the  name  of  Christopher  Snyder,  and  wounding  another  very 
severely. 


16  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

terial  ones.  Fleet's  paper,  "  Mein's  Chronicle,"  etc.,  etc., 
have  been  as  virulent  as  any  that  was  ever  in  the  province. 
These  bickerings  of  opposite  parties,  and  their  mutual  re 
proaches,  their  declamations,  their  sing-song,  their  triumphs 
and  defiances,  their  dismals  and  prophecies,  are  all  delusion. 
We  very  seldom  hear  any  solid  reasoning.  I  wish 
always  to  discuss  the  question  without  all  painting,  pathos, 
rhetoric,  or  flourish  of  every  kind.  And  the  question 

\  seems  to  me  to  be,  whether  the  American  colonies  are  to 
be  considered  as  a  distinct  community  so  far  as  to  have  a 

•  right  to  judge  for  themselves  when  the  fundamentals  of 
their  government  are  destroyed  or  invaded,  or  whether 
they  are  to  be  considered  as  a  part  of  the  whole  British 
empire,  the  whole  English  nation,  so  far  as  to  be  bound  in 
honor,  conscience,  or  interest  by  the  general  sense  of  the 
whole  nation.  However,  if  this  was  the  rule,  I  believe  it 
is  very  far  from  the  general  sense  of  the  whole  nation,  that 
America  should  be  taxed  by  the  British  parliament.  If 
the  sense  of  the  whole  of  the  empire  could  be  fairly  and 
truly  collected,  it  would  appear,  I  believe,  that  a  great 
majority  would  be  against  taxing  us  against  or  without  our 
consent.  It  is  very  certain  that  the  sense  of  parliament 
is  not  the  sense  of  the  empire,  nor  a  sure  indication  of  it. 

But,  if  all  other  parts  of  the  empire  were  agreed  unani 
mously  in  the  propriety  and  rectitude  of  taxing  us,  this 
would  not  bind  us.  It  is  a  fundamental,  inherent,  and  un- 

^>  alienable  right  of  the  people,  that  they  have  some  check, 
influence,  or  control  in  their  supreme  legislature.  If  the 
right  of  taxation  is  conceded  to  Parliament,  the  Americans 
have  no  check  or  influence  at  all  left. 

This  reasoning  never  was  nor  can  be  answered. 

9.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Falmouth,  6  July,  1774. 

OUR  Justice  Hutchinson  is  eternally  giving  his  polit 
ical  hints.  In  a  cause  this  morning,  somebody  named  Cap 
tain  Mackay  as  a  referee.  I  said,  "  An  honest  man  ?  " 
"  Yes,"  says  Hutchiuson,  "  he  's  an  honest  man,  only  misled  " 
—  "he,  he,  he!"  —  blinking  and  grinning.  At  dinner  to- 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  17 

day  somebody  mentioned  determinations  in  the  Lord's 
House  (the  Court  sits  in  the  meeting-house).  "I've 
known  many  very  bad  determinations  in  the  Lord's  house 
of  late,"  says  he,  meaning  a  fling  upon  the  clergy.  He  is 
perpetually  flinging  about  the  Fasts,  and  ironically  talking 
about  getting  home  to  the  Fast.  A  gentleman  told  me 
that  he  had  heard  him  say  frequently  that  the  Fast  was 
perfect  blasphemy.  "  "Why  don't  you  pay  for  the  tea  ? 
Refuse  to  pay  for  the  tea !  and  go  to  fasting  and  praying 
for  direction  !  Perfect  blasphemy  !  "  l 

This  is  the  moderation,  candor,  impartiality,  prudence, 
patience,  forbearance,  and  condescension  of  our  Judge. 

Samuel  Quincy  said  yesterday,  as  Josiah  told  me,  he 
was  for  staying  at  home  and  not  going  to  meeting  as  they, 
i.  e.,  the  meetings,  are  so  managed. 

Such  is  the  bitterness  and  rancor,  the  malice  and  re 
venge,  the  pride  and  vanity,  which  prevail  in  these  men. 
And  such  minds  are  possessed  of  all  the  power  of  the 
province. 

Samuel  makes  no  fortune  this  court.  There  is  very 
little  business  here,  it  is  true,  but  S.  gets  but  very  little 
of  that  little  —  less  than  anybody. 

Wyer  2  retains  his  old  good  nature  and  good  humor,  his 
wit,  such  as  it  is,  and  his  fancy,  with  its  mildness.  Brad 
bury  retains  his  anxiety,  and  his  plaintive,  angry  manner ; 
David  Sewall  his  softness  and  conceited  modesty. 

Bradbury  and  Sewall  always  roast  Dr.  Gardiner  at 
these  courts,  but  they  have  done  it  more  now  than  usual, 
as  Gardiner  had  not  me  to  protect  him.  See  how  I  think 
of  myself! 

I  believe  it  is  time  to  think  a  little  about  my  family 
and  farm.  The  fine  weather  we  have  had  for  eight  or  ten 
days  past  I  hope  has  been  carefully  improved  to  get  in  my 
hay.  It  is  a  great  mortification  to  me  that  I  could  not 

1  Foster  Hutchinson,  one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Superior  Court, 
and  brother  of  the   Governor.     He  was  proscribed  and  his   property  confis 
cated.     He  removed  to  Nova  Scotia  in  1776,  where  he  died  in  1799. 

2  David    Wyer,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in   1758,  entered  on   the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Falmouth,  but  died  before  he  was  forty,  in  Octo 
ber,  1775. 

2 


18  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [Jily, 

attend  every  step  of  their  progress  in  mowing,  making,  and 
carting.  I  long  to  see  what  burden.  But  I  long  more 
still  to  see  to  the  procuring  more  sea-weed,  and  muscle 
mud,  and  sand,  etc. 

However,  my  prospect  is  interrupted  again.  I  shall 
have  no  time.  I  must  prepare  for  a  journey  to  Philadel 
phia,  a  long  journey  indeed !  But  if  the  length  of  the 
journey  were  all,  it  would  be  no  burden.  But  the  consid 
eration  of  what  is  to  be  done  is  of  great  weight.  Great 
things  are  .wanted  to  be  done,  and  little  things  only  I  fear 
can  be  done.  I  dread  the  thought  of  the  Congress'  fall 
ing  short  of  the  expectations  of  the  continent,  but  espe 
cially  of  the  people  of  this  province. 

Vapors  a  vaunt !  I  will  do  my  duty,  and  leave  the 
event.  If  I  have  the  approbation  of  my  own  mind, 
whether  applauded  or  censured,  blessed  or  cursed,  by  the 
world,  I  will  not  be  unhappy. 

Certainly  I  shall  enjoy  good  company,  good  conversa 
tion,  and  shall  have  a  fine  ride  and  see  a  little  more  of 
the  world  than  I  have  seen  before. 

The  letters  I  have  written,  or  may  write,  my  dear,  must 
be  kept  secret,  or  at  least  shown  with  great  caution. 

I  believe  I  forgot  to  tell  you  one  anecdote.  When  I 
first  came  to  this  house  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  and 
I  had  ridden  thirty-five  miles  at  least.  "  Madam,"  said  I 
to  Mrs.  Huston,  "  is  it  lawful  for  a  weary  traveller  to  re 
fresh  himself  with  a  dish  of  tea,  provided  it  has  been  hon 
estly  smuggled,  or  paid  no  duties  ?  "  "  No,  sir,"  said  she, 
"  we  have  renounced  all  tea  in  this  place,  but  I  '11  make 
you  coffee."  Accordingly  I  have  drank  coffee  every  after 
noon  since,  and  have  borne  it  very  well.  Tea  must  be 
universally  renounced,  and  I  must  be  weaned,  and  the 
sooner  the  better. 

10.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Falmouth,  7  July,  1774. 

HAVE  you  seen  a  list  of  the  addressers  of  the  late  Gov 
ernor  ?  l     There  is  one  abroad,  with  the  character,  profes- 
1  There  were  addresses  presented  to  the  new  Governor,  Gage,  on  his  arrival, 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  19 

sion,  or  occupation  of  each  person  against  his  name.  I 
have  never  seen  it,  but  Judge  Brown  says  against  the 
name  of  Andrew  Faueuil  Phillips  is  "  Nothing."  And 
that  Andrew,  when  he  first  heard  of  it,  said,  "  Better  be 
nothing  with  one  side  than  everything  with  the  other." 

This  was  witty  and  smart,  whether  Andrew  said  it  or 
what  is  more  likely,  it  was  made  for  him.  A  notion  pre 
vails  among  all  parties  that  it  is  politest  and  genteelest  to 
be  on  the  side  of  administration  ;  that  the  better  sort,  the 
wiser  few,  are  on  one  side,  and  that  the  multitude,  the  vul 
gar,  the  herd,  the  rabble,  the  mob  only,  are  on  the  other. 
So  difficult  is  it  for  the  frail,  feeble  mind  of  man  to  shake 
itself  loose  from  all  prejudice  and  habits.  However,  An 
drew  or  his  prompter  is  perfectly  right  in  his  judgment, 
and  will  finally  be  proved  to  be,  so  that  the  lowest  on  the 
Tory  scale  will  make  it  more  for  his  interest  than  the 
highest  on  the  Whiggish.  And  as  long  as  a  man  adheres 
immovably  to  his  own  interest  and  has  understanding  or 
luck  enough  to  secure  and  promote  it,  he  will  have  the 
character  of  a  man  of  sense,  and  will  be  respected  by  a 
selfish  world.  I  know  of  no  better  reason  for  it  than  this, 
that  most  men  are  conscious  that  they  aim  at  their  own 
interest  only,  and  that  if  they  fail  it  is  owing  to  short  sight 
or  ill  luck,  and  therefore  they  can't  blame,  but  secretly  ap 
plaud,  admire,  and  sometimes  envy  those  whose  capacities 
have  proved  greater  and  fortunes  more  prosperous. 

I  am  engaged  in  a  famous  cause,  —  the  cause  of  King, 
of  Scarborough,  versus  a  mob  that  broke  into  his  house 
and  rifled  his  papers  and  terrified  him,  his  wife,  children 
and  servants  in  the  night.  The  terror  and  distress,  the 

which  was  noticed  with  much  pomp.  He  landed  at  the  end  of  Long  Wharf, 
and  was  escorted  by  the  Council  and  Magistracy,  the  troops,  and  the  Cadets, 
to  the  State  House,  where  a  public  dinner  was  given  to  him. 

But  the  addresses  referred  to  here  were  made  to  the  out-going  Governor, 
Hutchinson,who  was  about  to  embark  on  that  expedition  to  the  mother  country 
intended  only  as  a  visit,  but  which  proved  a  final  exile.  One  hundred  and 
twenty -three  of  the  merchants  and  traders,  twenty-four  members  of  the  bar, 
and  all  of  the  Episcopal  ministers  and  wardens  in  Boston  signed  these  papers. 
These  lists  embraced  a  considerable  part  of  the  gentlemen  of  property  and 
standing,  who  give  the  tone  to  society,  even  when  they  fail  to  affect  popular 
opinion. 


20  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

distraction  and  horror  of  his  family  cannot  be  described  by 
words  or  painted  upon  canvas.  It  is  enough  to  move  a 
statue,  to  melt  a  heart  of  stone,  to  read  the  story.  A  mind 
susceptible  of  the  feelings  of  humanity,  a  heart  which  can 
be  touched  with  sensibility  for  human  misery  and  wretch 
edness,  must  reluct,  must  burn  with  resentment  and  indig 
nation  at  such  outrageous  injuries.  'These_  private  mobs  I 
do  and  wj]|  ^pitest..1  If  popular  commotions  can  be  justi- 
fieTTn  opposition  to  attacks  upon  the  Constitution,  it  can 
be  only  when  fundamentals  are  invaded,  nor  then  unless 
for  absolute  necessity,  and  with  great  caution.  But  these 
tarrings  and  featherings,  this  breaking  open  houses  by  rude 
and  insolent  rabble  in  resentment  for  private  wrongs,  or  in 
pursuance  of  private  prejudices  and  passions,  must  be  dis 
countenanced.  It  cannot  be  even  excused  upon  any  prin 
ciple  which  can  be  entertained  by  a  good  citizen,  a  worthy 
member  of  societyj 

Dined  with  Mr.  Collector  Francis  Waldo,2  Esquire,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Winthrop,  the  two  Quincys,  and  the 
two  Sullivans,  all  very  social  and  cheerful  —  full  of  poli 
tics.  S.  Quincy's  tongue  ran  as  fast  as  anybody's.  He 
was  clear  in  it,  that  the  House  of  Commons  had  no  right 

1  Richard  King  was  a  successful  merchant  at  Scarborough,  with    leaning 
towards  the  Government,  to  whom  many  people  had  become  indebted  beyond 
their   ability  to  pay.     Taking   advantage  of  the  disorders  occasioned  by  the 
passage  of  the  Stamp  Act,  a  party,  disguised  as  Indians,  on  the  night  of  the 
16th  of  March,  1766,  broke  into  his  store  and  his  dwelling-house  also,  and  de 
stroyed  all  his  books  and  papers  containing  evidence  of  debts.     Not  content 
with  this,  they  laid  waste  his  property  and  threatened   his  life  if  he  should 
venture  to  seek  any  legal  mode  of  redress.     Man)7  of  the  perpetrators  were, 
however,  detected  and  brought  to  justice.     This  suit  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  consequences. 

The  popular  bitterness  thus  engendered  had  not,  however,  subsided,  at  the 
date  of  this  letter,  and  a  slight  incident  occurred  which  soon  caused  it  once 
more  to  break  out.  A  vessel  of  Mr.  King's  was  found  to  have  delivered  a  load 
of  lumber  in  Boston  by  special  license,  after  the  port  had  been  closed,  and  the 
materials  had  been  purchased  for  the  use  of  the  troops.  On  this  occasiou 
forty  men  from  the  neighboring  town  of  Gorham  came  over  and  compelled  Mr. 
King  in  fear  of  his  life  to  make  a  disavowal  of  his  opinions. 

These  repeated  shocks  seem  to  have  been  too  much  for  Mr.  King's  constitu 
tion.  He  became  distempered  in  mind,  and  died  in  the  following  March. 

2  Mr.  Waldo  had  ceased  to  be  Collector  at  the  date  of  this  letter.     But  he 
adhered  to  the  royal  cause,  and  as   a  consequence  became  an  exile  the  next 
year.     His  estate  was  confiscated,  and  he  died  in  London  in  1782. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  21 

to  take  money  out  of  our  pockets  more  than  any  foreign 
state  ;  repeated  large  paragraphs  from  a  publication  of  Mr. 
Burke's  in  1766,  and  large  paragraphs  from  Junius  Ameri- 
canus,  etc.  This  is  to  talk  and  to  shine  before  persons 
who  have  no  capacity  of  judging,  and  who  do  not  know 
that  he  is  ignorant  of  every  rope  in  the  ship.1 

I  shan't  be  able  to  get  away  till  next  week.  I  am  con 
cerned  only  in  two  or  three  cases,  and  none  of  them  are 
come  on  yet.  Such  an  Eastern  circuit  I  never  made.  I 
shall  bring  home  as  much  as  I  brought  from  home,  I  hope, 
and  not  much  more,  I  fear.  I  go  mourning  in  my  heart 
all  the  day  long,  though  I  say  nothing.  I  am  melancholy 
for  the  public  and  anxious  for  my  family.  As  for  myself, 
a  frock  and  trousers,  a  hoe  and  a  spade  would  do  for  my 
remaining  days. 

'For  God's  sake  make  your  children  hardy,  active,  and 
industrious;  for  strength,  activity  and  industry  will  be 
their  only  resource  and  dependence.) 

ii.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^July,  1774. 

I  NEVER  enjoyed  better  health  in  any  of  my  journeys, 
but  this  has_been  the  most  irksome,  the  most  gloomy  and 
melancholy  I  ever  made.  I  _ cannot  with  all_  jny  philos 
ophy  and  Christian  resignation  keep  up  my  spirits.  The 
(fismaT  prospect  before  me,  my  family,  and  my  country,  is  I  / 
too  much  for  my  fortitude! 

"  Bear  me,  some  god !     Oh  quickly  bear  me  hence, 
To  wholesome  solitude,  the  nurse  of  sense ; 
Where  Contemplation  prunes  her  ruffled  wings, 
And  the  free  soul  looks  down  to  pity  kings." 

The  day  before  yesterday  a  gentleman  came  and  spoke 
to  me,  asked  me  to  dine  with  him  on  Saturday ;  said  he 
was  very  sorry  I  had  not  better  lodgings  in  town ;  desired, 
if  I  came  to  town  again,  I  would  take  a  bed  at  his  house 

i  This  judgment  appears  from  subsequent  events  to  have  been  well  founded. 
For  Mr.  Quincy  when  put  to  the  test  showed  no  confidence  in  the  correctness 
of  his  reasoning.  He  took  office  under  the  crown,  and  in  less  than  two  years 
after  the  date  of  this  letter  left  the  country  as  an  exile.  He  died  in  the 
island  of  Antigua  in  1789. 


22  FAMILIAR  LETTERS. 

and  make  his  house  my  home ;  I  should  always  be  very 
welcome.  I  told  him  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
him.  He  said  his  name  was  Codman.  I  said  I  was  very 
much  obliged  to  him,  but  I  was  very  well  accommodated 
where  I  lodged.  I  had  a  clean  bed  and  a  very  neat  house, 
a  chamber  to  myself,  and  everything  I  wanted. 

Saturday,  I  dined  with  him,  in  company  with  Brigadier 
Preble,  Major  Freeman  and  his  son,  etc.,  and  a  very  gen 
teel  dinner  we  had.  Salt  fish  and  all  its  apparatus,  roast 
chickens,  bacon,  pease,  as  fine  a  salad  as  ever  was  made, 
and  a  rich  meat  pie.  Tarts  and  custards,  etc.,  good  wine, 
and  as  good  punch  as  ever  you  made.  A  large,  spacious, 
elegant  house,  yard,  and  garden  ;  I  thought  I  had  got 
into  the  palace  of  a  nobleman.  After  dinner,  when  I  was 
obliged  to  come  away,  he  renewed  his  invitation  to  me  to 
make  his  house  my  home  whenever  I  shall  come  to  town 
again. 

Friday  I  dined  with  Colonel,  Sheriff,  alias  Bill  Tyng.1 
Mrs.  Ross  and  her  daughter  Mrs.  Tyng  dined  with  us,  and 
the  court  and  clerk,  and  some  of  the  bar.  At  table  we  were 
speaking  about  Captain  MacCarty,  which  led  to  the  African 
trade.  Judge  Trowbridge  said,  "  That  was  a  very  humane 
and  Christian  trade,  to  be  sure,  that  of  making  slaves." 
"  Aye,"  says  I,  "  it  makes  no  great  odds ;  it  is  a  trade  that 
almost  all  mankind  have  been  concerned  in,  all  over  the 
globe,  since  Adam,  more  or  less,  in  one  way  and  another." 
This  occasioned  a  laugh. 

At  another  time  Judge  Trowbridge  said,  "  It  seems,  by 
Colonel  Barre's  speeches,  that  Mr.  Otis  has  acquired 
honor  by  releasing  his  damages  to  Robinson."  "  Yes," 
says  I,  "  he  has  acquired  honor  with  all  generations." 
Trowbridge  ;  "  He  did  not  make  much  profit,  I  think." 2 
Adams  :  "  True,  but  the  less  profit,  the  more  honor.  He 

1  William  Tyng  had  just  accepted  a  colonel's  commission  from  General 
Gage.     He  was  proscribed  and  banished  the  next  year.     But  he  returned  to 
Maine  in  1793,  where  he  died  in  1807.     A  brief  but  interesting  notice  of  him 
is  to  be  found  in  the  tenth  volume  of  the  collections  of  the  Massachusetts  His 
torical  Society,  pp.  183-185. 

2  Judge   Trowbridge  continued  a   moderate  adherent  of  the  Government, 
without  losing  the  regard  of  the  patriot  leaders.     His  reputation  as  a  lawyer 
was  great,  and  when  the  writer  of  this  letter  proposed  the  extreme  measure  of 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  23 

was  a  man  of  honor  and  generosity,  and  those  who  think 
he  was  mistaken  will  pity  him." 

Thus  you  see  how  foolish  I  am.  I  cannot  avoid  exposing 
myself  before  these  high  folks  ;  my  feelings  will  at  times 
overcome  my  modesty  and  reserve,  my  prudence,  policy, 
and  discretion.  I  have  a  zeal  at  my  heart  for  my  country 
and  her  friends,  which  I  cannot  smother  or  conceal  ;  it 
will  burn  out  at  times  and  in  companies  where  it  ought  to 
be  latent  in  my  breast.  This  zeal  will  prove  fatal  to  the 
fortune  and  felicity  of  my  family,  if  it  is  not  regulated  by 
a  cooler  judgment  than  mine  has  hitherto  been.  Colonel 
Otis's  phrase  is,  "  The  zeal-pot  boils  over." 

I  am  to  wait  upon  brother  Bradbury  to  meeting  to 
day,  and  to  dine  with  brother  Wyer.  When  I  shall  get 
home,  I  know  not,  but  if  possible,  it  shall  be  before  next 
Saturday  night.  I  long  for  that  time  to  come,  when  my 
dear  wife  and  my  charming  little  prattlers  will  embrace 
me.  Your  JOHN  ADAMS. 

12.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braiutree,  15  August,  1774. 

I  KNOW  not  where  this  will  find  you,1  whether  upon 
the  road  or  at  Philadelphia,  but  wherever  it  is,  I  hope  it 
will  find  you  in  good  health  and  spirits.  Your  journey, 
I  imagine,  must  have  been  very  tedious  from  the  extreme 
heat  of  the  weather  and  the  dustiness  of  the  roads.  We 
are  burnt  up  with  the  drought,  having  had  no  rain  since 
you  left  us,  nor  is  there  the  least  appearance  of  any. 

I  was  much  gratified  upon  the  return  of  some  of  your 
friends  from  Watertown,  who  gave  me  an  account  of  your 
social  dinner  and  friendly  parting.  May  your  return  merit 
and  meet  with  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of  every 
well-wisher  to  their  country.  Your  task  is  difficult  and 
important.  Heaven  direct  and  prosper  you.  I  find  from 

an  impeachment  of  the  Chief  Justice,  Oliver,  the  admissions  of  Judge  Trow- 
bridge,  when  consulted,  largely  contributed  to  a  confirmation  of  his  policy. 
The  Judge  lost  his  place  on  the  bench,  but  he  remained  otherwise  unharmed, 
»ud  died  at  Cambridge  in  1793. 

1  On  the  10th  of  this  month  Mr.  Adams  had  started  in  company  with  the 
other  delegates,  and  a  great  popular  escort,  from  Boston  for  Philadelphia. 


24  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

Mr.  A r,  of  B r,1  that  the  Chief  Justice  is  deter 
mined  to  take  his  seat  and  that  the  court  shall  proceed  to 
business  if  possible  ;  even  though  the  sheriff  should  be 
obliged  to  return  no  other  but  the  late  addressers.  He 
talks  as  he  always  used  to  ;  sometimes  one  thing,  some 
times  another ;  pretends  the  money  would  not  be  col 
lected  in  that  town  for  the  Congress  if  he  had  not  exerted 
himself,  though  it  seems  he  stayed  till  the  eleventh  hour, 
and  it  did  not  get  to  town  before  you  left  it.  I  found  by 
a  hint  he  dropped  that  he  used  all  his  influence  to  sup 
press  the  non-consumption  agreement  which  some  of  them 
had  drawn  up  to  sign,  and  that  he  has  enlisted  himself 
entirely  under  the  influence  of  the  Chief  Justice.  He 

also   expresses   great  bitterness  against   G 1  W n, 

of  P h,2  for  encouraging  young  Morton  to  settle  there ; 

seems  gratified  with  the  thought  of  his  losing  his  place, 
etc. 

So  much  for  politics.  Now  for  our  own  domestic  af 
fairs.  Mr.  Rice  came  this  afternoon.  He  and  Mr.  Thax- 
ter  are  settled  over  at  the  office.  Crosby  has  given  up  the 
school,  and  as  it  is  to  move  to  the  other  parish  Mr.  Rice 
cannot  have  it.  I  must  therefore  agree  with  them  to 
take  the  care  of  John  and  school  him  with  them,  which 
will  perhaps  be  better  for  him  than  going  to  the  town 
school. 

I  shall  reckon  over  every  week  as  they  pass,  and  re 
joice  at  every  Saturday  evening.  I  hope  to  hear  from 
you  by  Mr.  Cunningham  when  he  returns,  though  I  know 
not  when  that  will  be  ;  but  he  was  so  kind  as  to  send 
me  word  that  he  was  going  and  would  take  a  letter  for 
me. 

Our  little  ones  send  their  duty  to  their  papa,  and  that 
which  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  evermore  attends  you 
is  the  most  affectionate  regard  of  your 

ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

1  Probably  Oakes  Angier,  of  Bridge  water. 

2  Probably  General  James  Warren,  of  Plymouth. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  25 

13.   ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  19  August,  1774.' 

THE  great  distance  between  us  makes  the  time  appear 
very  long  to  me.  It  seems  already  a  month  since  you  left 
me.  The  great  anxiety  I  feel  for  my  country,  for  you,  and 
for  our  family  renders  the  day  tedious  and  the  night  un 
pleasant.  The  rocks  and  quicksands  appear  upon  every  side. 
What  course  you  can  or  will  take  is  all  wrapped  in  the 
bosom,  of  futurity.  Uncertainty  and  expectation  leave  the 
mind  great  scope.  Did  ever  any  kingdom  or  state  regain 
its  liberty,  when  once  it  was  invaded,  without  bloodshed  ? 
I  cannot  think  of  it  without  horror.  Yet  we  are  told  that 
all  the  misfortunes  of  Sparta  were  occasioned  by  their_tqo 
great  solicitude  for  present  tranquillity,  and,  from  an  ex-  ~ 
cessive  love  of  peace,  "they  neglected  the  means  of  making 
it  sure  and  lasting.  They  ought  to  have  reflected,  says 
Polybius,  that,  "  as  there  is  nothing  more  desirable  or  ad 
vantageous  than  peace,  when  founded  in  justice  and  honor, 
so  there  is  nothing  more  shameful,  and  at  the  same  time 
more  pernicious,  when  attained  by  bad  measures  and  pur 
chased  at  the  price  of  liberty."  I  have  received  a  most 
charming  letter  from  our  friend  Mrs.  Warren.1  She 
desires  me  to  tell  you  that  her  best  wishes  attend  you 
through  your  journey,  both  as  a  friend  and  a  patriot,  — 
hopes  you  will  have  no  uncommon  difficulties  to  surmount, 
or  hostile  movements  to  impede  you,  but,  if  the  Locrians 
should  interrupt  you,  she  hopes  that  you  will  beware,  that 
no  future  annals  may  say  you  chose  an  ambitious  Philip 
for  your  leader,  who  subverted  the  noble  order  of  the 
American  Amphictyons,  and  built  up  a  monarchy  on  the 
ruins  of  the  happy  institution. 

I  have  taken  a  very  great  fondness  for  reading  Rollin's 
Ancient  History  since  you  left  me.  I  am  determined  to 
go  through  with  it,  if  possible,  in  these  my  days  of  soli- 

1  Mercy  Warren,  the  sister  of  James  Otis,  and  the  wife  of  James  Warren, 
of  Plymouth;  the  author  of  the  little  satire  called  The  Group,  and  of  a 
History  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Few  of  her  sex  took  a  more  active  inter 
est  in  the  struggle  of  the  Revolution. 


26  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

tude.  I  find  great  pleasure  and  entertainment  from  it, 
and  I  have  persuaded  Johnny  to  read  me  a  page  or  two 
every  day,  and  hope  he  will,  from  his  desire  to  oblige  me, 
entertain  a  fondness  for  it.  We  have  had  a  charming  rain, 
which  lasted  twelve  hours  and  has  greatly  revived  the 
dying  fruits  of  the  earth. 

I  want  much  to  hear  from  you.  I  long  impatiently  to 
have  you  upon  the  stage  of  action.  The  first  of  Septem 
ber,  or  the  month  of  September,  perhaps,  may  be  of  as 
much  importance  to  Great  Britain  as  the  Ides  of  March 
were  to  Caesar.  I  wish  you  every  public  as  well  as  pri 
vate  blessing,  and  that  wisdom  which  is  profitable  both 
for  instruction  and  edification,  to  conduct  you  in  this  diffi 
cult  day.  The  little  flock  remember  papa,  and  kindly 
wish  to  see  him  ;  so  does  your  most  affectionate 

ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

14.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Princeton,  New  Jersey,  28  August,  1774. 

I  RECEIVED  your  kind  letter  at  New  York,  and  it  is 
not  easy  for  you  to  imagine  the  pleasure  it  has  given  me. 
I  have  not  found  a  single  opportunity  to  write  since  I  left 
Boston,  excepting  by  the  post,  and  I  don't  choose  to  write 
by  that  conveyance,  for  fear  of  foul  play.  But  as  we  are 
now  within  forty-two  miles  of  Philadelphia,  I  hope  there 
to  find  some  private  hand  by  which  I  can  convey  this. 

The  particulars  of  our  journey  I  must  reserve,  to  be 
communicated  after  my  return.  It  would  take  a  volume 
to  describe  the  whole.  It  has  been  upon  the  whole  an 
agreeable  jaunt.  We  have  had  opportunities  to  see  the 
world  and  to  form  acquaintances  with  the  most  eminent 
and  famous  men  in  the  several  colonies  we  have  passed 
through.  We  have  been  treated  with  unbounded  civility, 
complaisance,  and  respect.  We  yesterday  visited  Nassau 
Hall  College,  and  were  politely  treated  by  the  scholars, 
tutors,  professors,  and  president,  whom  we  are  this  day  to 
hear  preach.  To-morrow  we  reach  the  theatre  of  action. 
God  Almighty  grant  us  wisdom  and  virtue  sufficient  for 
the  high  trust  that  is  devolved  upon  us.  The  spirit  of  the 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  27 

people,  wherever  we  have  been,  seems  to  be  very  favor 
able.  They  universally  consider  our  cause  as  theH*~~ow£L,. 
and  express  the  firmest  resolution  to  abide  by  the  deter 
mination  of  the  Congress. 

I  am  anxious  for  our  perplexed,  distressed  province  ; 
hope  they  will  be  directed  into  the  right  path.  Let  me 
entreat  you,  niy  dear,  to  make  yourself  as  easy  and  quiet 
as  possible.  Resignation  to  the  will  of  Heaven  is  our 
only  resource  in  such  dangerous  times.  Prudence  and 
caution  should  be  our  guides.  I  have  the  strongest  hopes 
that  we  shall  yet  see  a  clearer  sky  and  better  times. 

Remember  my  tender  love  to  little  Abby ;  tell  her 
she  must  write  me  a  letter  and  inclose  it  in  the  next  you 
send.  I  am  charmed  with  your  amusement  with  our  little 
Johnny.  Tell  him  I  am  glad  to  hear  he  is  so  good  a  boy 
as  to  read  to  his  mamma  for  her  entertainment,  and  to 
keep  himself  out  of  the  company  of  rude  children.  Tell 
him  I  hope  to  hear  a  good  account  of  his  accidence  and 
nomenclature  when  I  return.  Remember  me  to  all  inquir 
ing  friends,  particularly  to  uncle  Quincy,1  your  papa  and 
family,  and  Dr.  Tufts  and  family.  Mr.  Thaxter.2  I  hope, 
is  a  good  companion  in  your  solitude.  Tell  him,  if  he 
devotes  his  soul  and  body  to  his  books,  I  hope,  notwith 
standing  the  darkness  of  these  days,  he  will  not  find  them 
unprofitable  sacrifices  in  future.  I  have  received  three 
very  obliging  letters  from  Tudor,  Trumbull,  and  Hill.3 
They  have  cheered  us  in  our  wanderings  and  done  us 
much  service. 

Your   account   of  the  rain   refreshed  me.     I  hope  our 

1  Xorton  Quincy,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1736,  and  the  only 
brother  of  Mrs.  Adams's  mother.  Sympathizing  with  the  patriotic  move 
ment  he  was  placed  on  the  first  committee  of  safety  organized  by  the  Provincial 
Assembly.  But  no  inducements  could  prevail  to  draw  him  from  his  seclusion 
at  Mount  Wollaston,  where  he  lived,  and  died  in  1801. 

*  John  Thaxter,  Jr.,  who  with  the  three  others  here  named  and  two  more 
were  clerks  with  Mr.  Adams  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution.  Mr. 
Thaxter  afterwards  acted  as  private  secretary  to  Mr.  Adams  during  his  second 
residence  in  Europe,  down  to  the  date  of  the  treaty  of  peace,  of  which  he 
was  made  the  bearer  to  the  United  States. 

3  William  Tudor,  John  Trumbull,  and  Jeremiah  Hill.  Some  of  these  let 
ters  remain,  and  are  not  without  interest  as  contemporaneous  accounts  of  Rev 
olutionary  events. 


28  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

husbandry  is  prudently  and  industriously  managed.  Fru 
gality  must  be  our  support.  Our  expenses  in  this  journey 
will  be  very  great.  Our  only  [recompense  will 1]  be  the 
consolatory  reflection  that  we  toil,  spend  our  time,  and 
[encounter]  dangers  for  the  public  good  —  happy  indeed 
if  we  do  any  good. 

The  education  of  our  children  is  never  out  of  my  mind. 
Train  them  to  virtue.  Habituate  them  to  industry,  ac 
tivity,  and  spirit.  Make  them  consider  every  vice  as 
shameful  and  unmanly.  Fire  them  with  ambition  to  be 
useful.  Make  them  disdain  to  be  destitute  of  any  useful 
or  ornamental  knowledge  or  accomplishment.  Fix  their 
ambition  upon  great  and  solid  objects,  and  their  contempt 
upon  little,  frivolous,  and  useless  ones.  It  is  time,  my 
dear,  for  you  to  begin  to  teach  them  French.  Every 
decency,  grace,  and  honesty  should  be  inculcated  upon 
them. 

I  have  kept  a  few  minutes  by  way  of  journal,  which 
shall  be  your  entertainment  when  I  come  home ;  but 
we  have  had  so  many  persons  and  so  various  characters 
to  converse  with,  and  so  many  objects  to  view,  that  I 
have  not  been  able  to  be  so  particular  as  I  could  wish. 
I  am,  with  the  tenderest  affection  and  concern, 

Your  wandering  JOHN  ADAMS. 

15.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  2  September,  1774. 

I  AM  very  impatient  to  receive  a  letter  from  you.  You 
indulged  me  so  much  in  that  way  in  your  last  absence,  that 
I  now  think  I  have  a  right  to  hear  as  often  from  you  as 
you  have  leisure  and  opportunity  to  write.  I  hear  that 
Mr.  Adams  2  wrote  to  his  son,  and  the  Speaker 2  to  his 
lady  ;  but  perhaps  you  did  not  know  of  the  opportunity. 
I  suppose  you  have  before  this  time  received  two  letters 
from  me,  and  will  write  me  by  the  same  conveyance.  I 
judge  you  reached  Philadelphia  last  Saturday  night.  I 
cannot  but  felicitate  you  upon  your  absence  a  little  while 

1  The  words  in  brackets  supplied,  as  the  manuscript  is  defective. 

2  Samuel  Adams  and  Thomas  Cushing,  both  of  them  delegates. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  29 

from  this  scene  of  perturbation,  anxiety,  and  distress.  I 
own  I  feel  not  a  little  agitated  with  the  accounts  I  have 
this  day  received  from  town  ;  great  commotions  have  arisen 
in  consequence  of  a  discovery  of  a  traitorous  plot  of 
Colonel  Brattle's,  —  iiis  advice  to  Gage  to  break  every 
commissioned  officer  and  to  seize  the  province's  and  town's 
stock  of  gunpowder.1  This  has  so  enraged  and  exasper 
ated  the  people  that  there  is  great  apprehension  of  an  im 
mediate  rupture.  They  have  been  all  in  flames  ever  since 
the  new-fangled  counselors  have  taken  their  oaths.  The 
importance,  of  which  they  consider  the  meeting  of  the 
Congress,  and  the  result  thereof  to  the  community  with 
holds  the  arm  of  vengeance  already  lifted,  which  would 
most  certainly  fall  with  accumulated  wrath  upon  Brattle, 
were  it  possible  to  come  at  him  ;  but  no  sooner  did  he  dis-' 
cover  that  his  treachery  had  taken  air  than  he  fled,  not 
only  to  Boston,  but  into  the  camp,  for  safety.  You  will, 
by  Mr.  Tudor,  no  doubt  have  a  much  more  accurate  ac 
count  than  I  am  able  to  give  you  ;  but  one  thing  I  can 
inform  you  of  which  perhaps  you  may  not  have  heard, 
namely,  Mr.  Vinton,  our  sheriff,  it  seems,  received  one  of 
those  twenty  warrants 2  which  were  issued  by  Messrs. 
Goldthwait  and  Price,  which  has  cost  them  such  bitter 
repentance  and  humble  acknowledgments,  and  which  has 
revealed  the  great  secret  of  their  attachment  to  the  liberties 
of  their  country,  and  their  veneration  and  regard  for  the 
good-will  of  their  countrymen.  See  their  address  to  Hutch- 
iiison  and  Gage.  This  warrant,  which  was  for  Stoughton- 

1  "  Mr.  Brattle  begs  leave  to  quere  whether  it  would  not  be  best  that  there 
should  not  be  one  commissioned  officer  of  the  militia  in  the  province."    (Brattle 
to  General  Gage,  26  August.) 

The  other  rumor  is  not  sustained  by  this  letter,  as  General  Brattle  there 
announces  that  all  the  town's  stock  of  powder  had  been  surrendered,  and  none 
was  left  but  the  king's,  meaning  thereby  what  belonged  to  the  province.  But 
whether  he  advised  it  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  a  detachment  of  the  regular 
troops  was  sent  out  of  Boston  on  the  1st  of  September  to  secure  all  the  powder 
left  at  Charlestown,  and  to  bring  it  away,  which  was  done. 

2  Writs  to  summon  juries.     The  administration  of  justice  had  been  stopped 
by  the  impeachment  of  Chief  Justice  Oliver,  and  the  refusal  of  the  juries  to 
act  under  him.     The  present  attempt  was  intended  to  deter  all  others  from 
becoming  jurors. 


30  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

ham,1  Viuton  carried  and  delivered  to  a  constable  there ; 
but  before  he  had  got  six  miles  he  was  overtaken  by  sixty 
men  on  horseback,  who  surrounded  him  and  told  him  unless 
he  returned  with  them  and  demanded  back  that  warrant 
and  committed  it  to  the-  flames  before  their  faces,  he  must 
take  the  consequences  of  a  refusal ;  and  he,  not  thinking 
it  best  to  endure  their  vengeance,  returned  with  them, 
made  his  demand  of  the  warrant,  and  consumed  it,  upon 
which  they  dispersed  and  left  him  to  his  own  reflections. 
Since  the  news  of  the  Quebec  bill  arrived,  all  the  Church 
people  here  have  hung  their  heads  and  will  not  converse 
upon  politics,  though  ever  so  much  provoked  by  the  oppo 
site  party.  Before  that,  parties  ran  very  high,  and  very 
hard  words  and  threats  of  blows  upon  both  sides  were 
given  out.  They  have  had  their  town-meeting  here,  which 
was  full  as  usual,  chose  their  committee  for  the  county 
meeting,  and  did  business  without  once  regarding  or  fear 
ing  for  the  consequences.2 

I  should  be  glad  to  know  how  you  found  the  people  as 
you  travelled  from  town  to  town.  I  hear  you  met  with 
great  hospitality  and  kindness  in  Connecticut.  Pray  let 
me  know  how  your  health  is,  and  whether  you  have  not 
had  exceeding  hot  weather.  The  drought  has  been  very 
severe.  My  poor  cows  will  certainly  prefer  a  petition  to 
you,  setting  forth  their  grievances  and  informing  you  that 
they  have  been  deprived  of  their  ancient  privileges,  whereby 
they  are  become  great  sufferers,  and  desiring  that  they  may 
be  restored  to  them.  More  especially  as  their  living,  by 
reason  of  the  drought,  is  all  taken  from  them,  and  their 
property  which  they  hold  elsewhere  is  decaying,  they 
humbly  pray  that  you  would  consider  them,  lest  hunger 
should  break  through  stone  walls. 

The  tenderest  regard  evermore  awaits  you  from  your 
most  affectionate  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

1  The  old  name  of  the  town  of  Sharon. 

2  The  most  clear  and  decisive  account  of  the  general  rising  that  took  place 
at  this  time  in  the  province  is  given  in  the  official  letter  of  General  Gage  to 
Lord  Dartmouth,  of  the  same  date  with  this  letter.     Am.  Archives  for  1774, 
p.  767. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  31 

1 6.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  8  September,  1774. 

WHEN  or  where  this  letter  will  find  you  I  know  not. 
In  what  scenes  of  distress  and  terror  I  cannot  foresee. 
We  have  received  a  confused  account  from  Boston  of  a 
dreadful  catastrophe.  The  particulars  we  have  not  heard. 
We  are  waiting  with  the  utmost  anxiety  and  impatience 
for  further  intelligence.  The  effect  of  the  news  we  have, 
both  upon  the  Congress  and  the  inhabitants  of  this  city, 
was  very  great.  Great  indeed  !  Every  gentleman  seems 
to  consider  the  bombardment  l  of  Boston  as  the  bombard 
ment  of  the  capital  of  his  own  province.  Our  deliberations 
are  grave  and  serious  indeed. 

It  is  a  great  affliction  to  me  that  I  cannot  write  to  you 
oftener  than  I  do.  But  there  are  so  many  hindrances  that 
I  cannot.  It  would  fill  volumes  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the 
scenes  I  behold,  and  the  characters  I  converse  with.  We 
have  so  much  business,  so  much  ceremony,  so  much  com 
pany,  so  many  visits  to  receive  and  return,  that  I  have  not 
time  to  write.  And  the  times  are  such  as  to  make  it  im 
prudent  to  write  freely. 

We  cannot  depart  from  this  place  until  the  business  of 
the  Congress  is  completed,  and  it  is  the  general  disposition  _ 
to  proceed  slowly.  When  I  shall  be  at  home  I  can't  say. 
If  there  is  distress  and  danger  in  Boston,  pray  invite  our 
friends,  as  many  as  possible,  to  take  an  asylum  with  you, 
—  Mrs.  Gushing  and  Mrs.  Adams,  if  you  can.  There  is  in 
the  Congress  a  collection  of  the  greatest  men  upon  this 
continent  in  point  of  abilities,  virtues,  and  fortunes.  The 
magnanimity  and  public  spirit  which  I  see  here  make  me 

1  Dr.  Gordon  says  that  the  rumors  spread  of  the  seizure  of  the  gunpowder, 
and  of  General  Gage's  measures  to  fortify  himself  against  surprise,  rapidly 
swelled  into  a  story  that  the  fleet  and  the  army  were  firing  into  the  town. 
As  a  consequence,  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  a  multitude  had  collected 
from  thirty  miles  around,  of  not  less  than  thirty  or  forty  thousand  people. 
Nothing  could  be  more  absurd  in  itself,  considering  that  Boston  was  the 
only  place  Gage  could  hope  to  hold  as  a  refuge  for  the  royalists  flying  from  all 
the  other  towns,  yet  the  alarm  had  a  very  decided  effect  in  hastening  the  action 
of  the  collected  delegates  at  Philadelphia,  and  in  uniting  the  sentiments  of  the 
people  in  the  other  colonies. 


32  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

blush  for  the  sordid,  venal  herd  which  I  have  seen  in  my 
own  province.  The  addressers,  and  the  new  councillors  1 
are  held  in  universal  contempt  and  abhorrence  from  one 
end  of  the  continent  to  the  other. 

Be  not  under  any  concern  for  me.  There  is  little  dan 
ger  from  anything  we  shall  do  at  the  Congress.  There  is 
such  a  spirit  through  the  colonies,  and  the  members  of 
the  Congress  are  such  characters,  that  no  danger  can  hap- 
,  pen  to  us  which  will  not  involve  the  whole  continent  in 
universal  desolation ;  and  in  that  case,  who  would  wish  to 

live  ?     Adieu. 
I 

17.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^-Philadelphia,  14  September,  1774. 

I  HAVE  written  but  once  to  you  since  I  left  you.  This 
is  to  be  imputed  to  a  variety  of  causes,  which  I  cannot  ex 
plain  for  want  of  time.  It  would  fill  volumes  to  give  you 
an  exact  idea  of  the  whole  tour.  My  time  is  totally  filled 
from  the  moment  I  get  out  of  bed  until  I  return  to  it. 
Visits,  ceremonies,  company,  business,  newspapers,  pam 
phlets,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

The  Congress  will,  to  all  present  appearance,  be  well 
united,  and  in  such  measures  as,  I  hope,  will  give  satisfac 
tion  to  the  friends  of  our  country.  A  Tory  here  is  the 
most  despicable  animal  in  the  creation.  Spiders,  toads, 
snakes  are  their  only  proper  emblems.  The  Massachusetts 
councillors  and  addressers  are  held  in  curious  esteem  here, 
as  you  will  see.  The  spirit,  the  firmness,  the  prudence  of 
our  province  are  vastly  applauded,  'and  we  are  universally 
acknowledged  the  saviours  and  defenders  of  American  lib 
erty.  The  designs  and  plans  of  the  Congress  must  not  be 
communicated  until  completed,  and  we  shall  move  with  great 
deliberation. 

When  I  shall  come  home  I  know  not,  but  at  present  I 
do  not  expect  to  take  my  leave  of  this  city  these  four  weeks. 

1  These  were  the  persons  nominated  as  councillors  by  mandamus,  under  the 
new  act  for  the  regulation  of  the  province  charter.  Most  of  them  were  com 
pelled  by  the  people  to  resign  their  places,  and  some  were  driven  from  home 
never  to  return. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  33 

My  compliments,  love,  service,  where  they  are  due.  My 
babes  are  never  out  of  my  mind,  nor  absent  from  my 
heart.  Adieu. 

1 8.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  14  September,  1774. 

FIVE  weeks  have  passed  and  not  one  line  have  I  re 
ceived.  I  would  rather  give  a  dollar  for  a  letter  by  the 
post,  though  the  consequence  should  be  that  I  ate  but  one 
meal  a  day  these  three  weeks  to  come.  Every  one  I  see 
is  inquiring  after  you,  when  did  I  hear.  All  my  intelli 
gence  is  collected  from  the  newspaper,  and  I  can  only  reply 
that  I  saw  by  that,  you  arrived  such  a  day.  I  know  your 
fondness  for  writing,  and  your  inclination  to  let  me  hear 
from  you  by  the  first  safe  conveyance,  which  makes  me 
suspect  that  some  letter  or  other  has  miscarried ;  but  I 
hope,  now  you  have  arrived  at  Philadelphia,  you  will  find 
means  to  convey  me  some  intelligence. 

"We  are  all  well  here.  I  think  I  enjoy  better  health 
than  I  have  done  these  two  years.  I  have  not  been  to 
town  since  I  parted  with  you  there.  The  Governor  is 
making  all  kinds  of  warlike  preparations,  such  as  mounting 
cannon  upon  Beacon  Hill,  digging  intrenchments  upon  the 
Neck,  placing  cannon  there,  encamping  a  regiment  there, 
throwing  up  breast-works,  etc.  The  people  are  much 
alarmed,  and  the  selectmen  have  waited  upon  him  in  con 
sequence  of  it.  The  County  Congress  l  have  also  sent  a 
committee  ;  all  which  proceedings  you  will  have  a  more 
particular  account  of  than  I  am  able  to  give  you,  from 
the  public  papers.  But  as  to  the  movements  of  this 
town,  perhaps  you  may  not  hear  them  from  any  other 
person. 

In  consequence  of  the  powder  being  taken  from  Charles- 
town,  a  general  alarm  spread  through  many  towns  and  was 
caught  pretty  soon  here.  The  report  took  here  on  Friday, 
and  on  Sunday  a  soldier  was  seen  lurking  about  the  Com 
mon,  supposed  to  be  a  spy,  but  most  likely  a  deserter. 

1  This  was  the  great  meeting  of  delegates  from  all  parts  of  Suffolk  County 
which  passed  the  resolves  commonly  known  as  the  Suffolk  Resolves. 


34  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

However,  intelligence  of  it  was  communicated  to  the  other 
parishes,  and  about  eight  o'clock  Sunday  evening  there 
passed  by  here  about  two  hundred  men,  preceded  by  a 
horsecart,  and  marched  down  to  the  powder-house,  from 
whence  they  took  the  powder,  and  carried  it  into  the  other 
parish  and  there  secreted  it.  I  opened  the  window  upon 
their  return.  They  passed  without  any  noise,  not  a  word 
among  them  till  they  came  against  this  house,  when  some 
of  them,  perceiving  me,  asked  me  if  I  wanted  any  powder. 
I  replied,  No,  since  it  was  in  so  good  hands.  The  reason 
they  gave  for  taking  it  was  that  we  had  so  many  Tories 
here,  they  dared  not  trust  us  with  it ;  they  had  taken  Vin- 
ton  in  their  train,  and  upon  their  return  they  stopped  be 
tween  Cleverly's  and  E tier's,  and  called  upon  him  to  deliver 
two  warrants.  Upon  his  producing  them,  they  put  it  to 
vote  whether  they  should  burn  them,  and  it  passed  in  the 
affirmative.  They  then  made  a  circle  and  burnt  them. 
They  then  called  a  vote  whether  they  should  huzza,  but, 
it  being  Sunday  evening,  it  passed  in  the  negative.  They 
called  upon  Vinton  to  swear  that  he  would  never  be  instru 
mental  in  carrying  into  execution  any  of  these  new  acts. 
They  were  not  satisfied  with  his  answers ;  however,  they 
let  him  rest.  A  few  days  afterwards,  upon  his  making 
some  foolish  speeches,  they  assembled  to  the  amount  of  two 
or  three  hundred,  and  swore  vengeance  upon  him  unless  he 
took  a  solemn  oath.  Accordingly,  they  chose  a  committee 
and  sent  it  with  him  to  Major  Miller's  to  see  that  he  com 
plied  ;  and  they  waited  his  return,  which  proving  satisfac 
tory,  they  dispersed.  This  town  appears  as  high  as  you 
can  well  imagine,  and,  if  necessary,  would  soon  be  in  arms. 
Not  a  Tory  but  hides  his  head.  The  church  parson  thought 
they  were  coming  after  him,  and  ran  up  garret ;  they  say 
another  jumped  out  of  his  window  and  hid  among  the  corn, 
whilst  a  third  crept  under  his  board  fence  and  told  his 
beads. 

16  September,  1774. 

I   dined    to-day  at   Colonel   Quincy's.1     They   were   so 
kind  as  to  send  me  and  Abby  and  Betsey  an  invitation  to 

1  Josiah  Quincy,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1728,  and  the  father  of 
the  two  others  here  named. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  35 

spend  the  day  with  them ;  and,  as  I  had  not  been  to  see 
them  since  I  removed  to  Braintree,  I  accepted  the  invita 
tion.  After  I  got  there  came  Mr.  Samuel  Quincy's  wife 
and  Mr.  Sumner,  Mr.  Josiah  and  wife.  A  little  clashing 
of  parties,  you  may  be  sure.  Mr.  Sam's  wife  said  she 
thought  it  hio-h  time  for  her  husband  to  turn  about ;  he  had 

&  & 

not  done  half  so  cleverly  since  he  left  her  advice  ;  said 
they  both  greatly  admired  the  most  excellent  speech  of 
the  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  which  I  suppose  you  have  seen. 
It  meets,  and  most  certainly  merits,  the  greatest  enco 
miums.1 

Upon  my  return  at  night,  Mr.  Thaxter  met  me  at 
the  door  with  your  letter,  dated  at  Princeton,  New  Jer 
sey.  It  really  gave  me  such  a  flow  of  spirits  that  I  was 
not  composed  enough  to  sleep  until  one  o'clock.  You  make 
no  mention  of  one  I  wrote  you  previous  to  that  you  re 
ceived  by  Mr.  Breck,  and  sent  by  Mr.  Cunningham.  I  am 
rejoiced  to  hear  you  are  well.  I  want  to  know  many  more 
particulars  than  you  write  me,  and  hope  soon  to  hear  from 
you  again.  I  dare  not  trust  myself  with  the  thought  how 
long  you  may  perhaps  be  absent.  I  only  count  the  weeks 
already  past,  and  they  amount  to  five.  I  am  not  so  lonely 
as  I  should  have  been  without  my  two  neighbors  ; 2  we  make 
a  table-full  at  meal  times.  All  the  rest  of  their  time  they 
spend  in  the  office.  Never  were  two  persons  who  gave  a 
family  less  trouble  than  they  do.  It  is  at  last  determined 
that  Mr.  Rice  keep  the  school  here.  Indeed,  he  has  kept 
ever  since  he  has  been  here,  but  not  with  any  expectation 
that  he  should  be  continued ;  but  the  people,  finding  no 
small  difference  between  him  and  his  predecessor,  chose  he 
should  be  continued.  I  have  not  sent  Johnny.3  He  goes 

1  Dr.  Jonathan  Shipley,  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  had  distinguished  himself  by 
his  opposition  to  the  policy  of  the  Government  upon  two  occasions.     The  first 
in  a  sermon  preached  in  February,  1773,  before  the  Society  for  the  Propaga 
tion  of  the  Gospel,  which  received  the  warm  approbation  of  Lord  Chatham. 
The  second  by  a  speech  in  the  House  of  Lords.     It  is  to  the  latter  that  the 
reference  is  made. 

2  John   Thaxter,  already  mentioned,  and  Nathan  Rice,  who  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1773,  and  entered  immediately  as  a  clerk  in  Mr.  Adams's 
office.     The  latter  took  a  commission  in  the  army,  and  served  with  credit 
through  the  war.     He  survived  until  1834. 

3  John  Quincy  Adams,  at  this  time  seven  years  old. 


36  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  "September, 

very  steadily  to  Mr.  Thaxter,  who  I  believe  takes  very 
good  care  of  him ;  and  as  they  seem  to  have  a  liking  to 
each  other,  I  believe  it  will  be  best  to  continue  him  with 
him.  However,  when  you  return,  we  can  consult  what 
will  be  best.  I  am  certain  that,  if  he  does  not  get  so 
much  good,  he  gets  less  harm  ;  and  I  have  always  thought 
it  of  very  great  importance  that  children  should,  in  the 
early  part  of  life,  be  unaccustomed  to  such  examples  as 
would  tend  to  corrupt  the  purity  of  their  words  and  ac 
tions,  that  they  may  chill  with  horror  at  the  sound  of  an 
oath,  and  blush  with  indignation  at  an  obscene  expression. 
These  first  principles,  which  grow  with  their  growth,  and 
strengthen  with  their  strength,  neither  time  nor  custom  can 
totally  eradicate. 

You  will  perhaps  be  tired.  No.  Let  it  serve  by  way 
of  relaxation  from  the  more  important  concerns  of  the  day, 
and  be  such  an  amusement  as  your  little  hermitage  used 
to  afford  you  here.  You  have  before  you,  to  express  my 
self  in  the  words  of  the  bishop,  the  greatest  national  con 
cerns  that  ever  came  before  any  people  ;  and  if  the  prayers 
and  petitions  ascend  unto  heaven  which  are  daily  offered 
for  you,  wisdom  will  flow  down  as  a  stream,  and  righteous 
ness  as  the  mighty  waters,  and  your  deliberations  will  make 
glad  the  cities  of  our  God. 

I  was  very  sorry  I  did  not  know  of  Mr.  Gary's  going ; 
it  would  have  been  so  good  an  opportunity  to  have  sent 
this,  as  I  lament  the  loss  of.  You  have  heard,  no  doubt, 
of  the  people's  preventing  the  court  from  sitting  in  various 
counties;  and  last  week,  in  Taunton,  Angler  urged  the 
court's  opening  and  calling  out  the  actions,  but  could  not 
effect  it.  I  saw  a  letter  from  Miss  Eunice,1  wherein  she 
gives  an  account  of  it,  and  says  there  were  two  thousand 
men  assembled  round  the  court-house,  and,  by  a  committee 
of  nine,  presented  a  petition  requesting  that  they  would  not 
sit,  and  with  the  utmost  order  waited  two  hours  for  their 
answer,  when  they  dispersed. 

You  will   burn   all  these  letters,  lest  they  should  fall 

1  Miss  Eunice  Paine,  a  sister  of  Robert  Treat  Paine,  and  for  many  years  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  writer. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  37 

from  your  pocket,  and  thus  expose  your  most  affectionate 
friend. 

19.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  16  September,  1774. 

HAVING  a  leisure  moment,  while  the  Congress  is  assem 
bling,  I  gladly  embrace  it  to  write  you  a  line. 

When  the  Congress  first  met,  Mr.  Gushing  made  a  mo 
tion  that  it  should  be  opened  with  prayer.  It  was  opposed 
by  Mr.  Jay,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Rutledge,  of  South  Car 
olina,  because  we  were  so  divided  in  religious  sentiments, 
some  Episcopalians,  some  Quakers,  some  Anabaptists,  some 
Presbyterians,  and  some  Congregationalists,  that  we  could 
not  join  in  the  same  act  of  worship.  Mr.  Samuel  Adams 
arose  and  said  he  was  no  bigot,  and  could  hear  a  prayer 
from  a  gentleman  of  piety  and  virtue,  who  was  at  the  same 
time  a  friend  to  his  country.  He  was  a  stranger  in  Phila 
delphia,  but  had  heard  that  Mr.  Duche  (Dushay  they  pro 
nounce  it)  deserved  that  character,  and  therefore  he  moved 
that  Mr.  Duche,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  might  be  desired 
to  read  prayers  to  the  Congress,  to-morrow  morning. 
The  motion  was  seconded  and  passed  in  the  affirmative. 
Mr.  Randolph,  our  president,  waited  on  Mr.  Duche,  and 
received  for  answer  that  if  his  health  would  permit  he  cer 
tainly  would.  Accordingly,  next  morning  he  appeared  with 
his  clerk  and  in  his  pontificals,  and  read  several  prayers 
in  the  established  form ;  and  then  read  the  Collect  for 
the  seventh  day  of  September,  which  was  the  thirty-fifth 
Psalm.  You  must  remember  this  was  the  next  morning 
after  we  heard  the  horrible  rumor  of  the  cannonade  of 
Boston.  I  never  saw  a  greater  effect  upon  an  audience. 
It  seemed  as  if  Heaven  had  ordained  that  Psalm  to  be 
read  on  that  morning. 

After  this,  Mr.  Duche,  unexpected  to  everybody,  struck 
out  into  an  extemporary  prayer,  which  filled  the  bosom  of 
every  man  present.  I  must  confess  I  never  heard  a  better 
prayer,  or  one  so  well  pronounced.  Episcopalian  as  he  is, 
Dr.  Cooper  himself  1  never  prayed  with  such  fervor,  such 

1  Dr.  Samuel  Cooper,  well  known  as  a  zealous  patriot  and  pastor  of  the 


38  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

ardor,  such  earnestness  and  pathos,  and  in  language  so 
elegant  and  sublime  —  for  America,  for  the  Congress,  for  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  especially  the  town  of 
Boston.  It  has  had  an  excellent  effect  upon  everybody 
here.  I  must  beg  you  to  read  that  Psalm.  If  there  was 
any  faith  in  the  Sortes  Biblicae,  it  would  be  thought  provi 
dential. 

It  will  amuse  your  friends  to  read  this  letter  and  the 
thirty-fifth  Psalm  to  them.  Read  it  to  your  father  and 
Mr.  Wibird.  I  wonder  what  our  Braintree  Churchmen 
will  think  of  this !  Mr.  Duche  is  one  of  the  most  ingen 
ious  men,  and  best  characters,  and  greatest  orators  in  the 
Episcopal  order,  upon  this  continent.  Yet  a  zealous 
friend  of  Liberty  and  his  country.2 

I  long  to  see  my  dear  family.  God  bless,  preserve,  and 
prosper  it.  Adieu. 

20  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  18  September,  1774. 

IN  your  last  you  inquire  tenderly  after  my  health,  and 
how  we  found  the  people  upon  our  journey,  and  how  we 
were  treated. 

I  have  enjoyed  as  good  health  as  usual,  and  much  more 
than  I  know  how  to  account  for,  when  I  consider  the  ex 
treme  heat  of  the  weather  and  the  incessant  feasting  I 
have  endured  ever  since  I  left  Boston. 

The  people  in  Connecticut,  New  York,  the  Jerseys,  and 
Pennsylvania  we  have  found  extremely  well  principled  and 
very  well  inclined,  although  some  persons  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  wanted  a  little  animation.  Their  zeal 

church  in  Brattle  Square.  The  edifice,  at  that  time  esteemed  the  finest 
interior  in  Boston,  and  yet  much  admired,  had  been  completed  about  a  year. 
It  has  now  gone  the  way  of  all  old  structures  in  Boston.  Mr.  Adams  had 
become  a  proprietor  and  a  worshipper  at  this  church. 

2  He  held  out  tolerably  well  for  two  years.  But  the  apparent  preponder 
ance  of  British  power  on  the  one  side,  and  his  sectarian  prejudices  against  the 
Independents  of  New  England  on  the  other,  finally  got  the  better  of  him,  so  far 
as  to  dictate  the  appeal  to  General  Washington,  in  the  gloomiest  period  of  the 
war,  which  forever  forfeited  for  him  all  claim  to  the  commendation  above 
bestowed. 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  39 

however,  has  increased  wonderfully  since  we  began  our 
journey. 

When  the  horrid  news  was  brought  here  of  the  bom 
bardment  of  Boston,  which  made  us  completely  miserable 
for  two  days,  we  saw  proofs  both  of  the  sympathy  and  the 
resolution  of  the  continent. 

War  !  war  !  war  !  was  the  cry,  and  it  was  pronounced 
in  a  tone  which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  oratory  of  a 
Briton  or  a  Roman. 

If  it  had  proved  true,  you  would  have  heard  the  thun 
der  of  an  American  Congress. 

I  have  not  time  nor  language  to  express  the  hospitality 
and  civility,  the  studied  and  expensive  respect,  with  which 
we  have  been  treated  in  every  step  of  our  progress.  If 
Camden,  Chatham,  Richmond,  arid  St.  Asaph  had  travelled 
through  the  country,  they  could  not  have  been  entertained 
with  greater  demonstrations  of  respect  than  Gushing,  Paine, 
and  the  brace  of  Adamses  have  been. 

The  particulars  will  amuse  you  when  we  return. 

I  confess,  the  kindness,  the  affection,  the  applause,  which 
have  been  given  to  me,  and  especially  to  our  province, 
have  many  a  time  filled  my  bosom  and  streamed  from  my 
eyes. 

My  best  respects  to  Colonel  Warren  and  his  lady  when 
you  write  to  them.  I  wish  to  write  to  them.  Adieu. 

21.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

18  September,  1774. 

I  RECEIVED  your  very  agreeable  letter  by  Mr.  Marston, 
and  have  received  two  others,  which  gave  me  much  pleas 
ure.  I  have  wrote  several  letters,  but  whether  they  have 
reached  you  I  know  not.  There  is  so  much  rascality  in 
the  management  of  letters  now  come  in  fashion,  that  I  am 
determined  to  write  nothing  of  consequence,  not  even  to 
the  friend  of  my  bosom,  but  by  conveyances  which  I  can 
be  sure  of.  The  proceedings  of  the  Congress  are  all  a 
profound  secret  as  yet,  except  two  votes  which  were  passed 
yesterday,  and  ordered  to  be  printed.  You  will  see  them 
from  every  quarter.  These  votes  were  passed  in  full  Con- 


40  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

gress  with  perfect  unanimity.  The  esteem,  the  affection, 
the  admiration  for  the  people  of  Boston  and  the  Massachu 
setts  which  were  expressed  yesterday,  and  the  fixed  deter 
mination  that  they  should  be  supported,  were  enough  to 
melt  a  heart  of  stone.  I  saw  the  tears  gush  into  the  eyes 
of  the  old  grave  pacific  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania.  You 
cannot  conceive,  my  dear,  the  hurry  of  business,  visits, 
ceremonies,  which  we  are  obliged  to  go  through. 

We  have  a  delicate  course  to  steer  between  too  much 
activity  and  too  much  insensibility  in  our  critical,  interested 
situation.  I  flatter  myself,  however,  that  we  shall  conduct 
ourselves  in  such  a  manner  as  to  merit  the  approbation  of 
our  country.  It  has  taken  us  much  time  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  tempers,  views,  characters,  and  designs  of  persons, 
and  to  let  them  into  the  circumstances  of  our  province. 
My  dear,  do  entreat  every  friend  I  have  to  write  me. 
Every  line  which  comes  from  our  friends  is  greedily  in 
quired  after,  and  our  letters  have  done  us  vast  service. 
Middlesex  and  Suffolk  have  acquired  unbounded  honor 
here. 

There  is  no  idea  of  submission  here  in  anybody's  head. 

Thank  my  dear  Nabby 1  for  her  letter.  Tell  her  it  has 
given  me  great  spirit.  Kiss  all  my  sweet  ones  for  me. 

Adieu. 

22.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  20  September,  1774. 

I  AM  very  well  yet.  Write  to  me  as  often  as  you  can, 
and  send  your  letters  to  the  office  in  Boston,  or  to  Mr. 
Cranch's,  whence  they  will  be  sent  by  the  first  convey 
ance. 

I  am  anxious  to  know  how  you  can  live  without  Gov 
ernment.  But  the  experiment  must  be  tried.  The  evils 
will  not  be  found  so  dreadful  as  you  apprehend  them. 
Frugality,  my  dear,  frugality,  economy,  parsimony,  must 
be  our  refuge.  I  hope  the  ladies  are  every  day  diminish 
ing  their  ornaments,  and  the  gentlemen,  too.  Let  us  eat 
potatoes  and  drink  water ;  let  us  wear  canvas,  and  un- 
1  His  only  daughter. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  41 

dressed  sheepskins,  rather  than  submit  to  the  unrighteous 
and  ignominious  domination  that  is  prepared  for  us. 

Tell  Brackett  I  shall  make  him  leave  off  drinking  rum. 
We  can't  let  him  fight  yet.  My  love  to  my  dear  ones. 

Adieu. 

23.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston  Garrison,  24  September,  1774. 

I  HAVE  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  my  brother,  with 
my  father,  who  carried  me  there  the  day  before  yesterday, 
and  called  here  in  my  return,  to  see  this  much  injured  town. 
I  view  it  with  much  the  same  sensations  that  I  should 
the  body  of  a  departed  friend  —  having  only  put  off  its 
present  glory  for  to  rise  finally  to  a  more  happy  state.  I 
will  not  despair,  but  will  believe  that,  our  cause  being  good, 
we  shall  finally  prevail.  The  maxim  "  In  time  of  peace 
prepare  for  war  "  (if  this  may  be  called  a  time  of  peace) 
resounds  throughout  the  country.  Next  Tuesday  they  are 
warned  at  Braintree,  all  above  fifteen  and  under  sixty,  to 
attend  with  their  arms ;  and  to  train  once  a  fortnight  from 
that  time  is  a  scheme  which  lies  much  at  heart  with  many. 

Scott  has  arrived,  and  brings  news  that  he  expected  to 
find  all  peace  and  quietness  here,  as  he  left  them  at  home. 
You  will  have  more  particulars  than  I  am  able  to  send 
you,  from  much  better  hands. 

There   has  been  in  town  a  conspiracy  of  the  negroes.    \ 
At  present  it  is   kept   pretty  private.     It  was  discovered    ' 
by  one  who  endeavored  to   dissuade  them   from  it.     He, 
being  threatened  with   his  life,  applied  to  Justice   Quiucy 
for  protection.     They  conducted  in  this  way  :  got  an  Irish 
man  to  draw  up  a  petition  to  the   Governor,  telling  him 
they   would   fight  for  him,  provided  he   would  arm  them 
arid  engage  to  liberate  them  if  he  conquered.     And  it  is 
said  that  he  attended  so  much  to  it    as   to   consult   Percy 
upon   it ;  and   one   Lieutenant   Small  has   been  very  busy 
and  active.     There  is  but  little  said,  and  what  steps  they  | 
will  take  in  consequence  of  it,  I  know  not.      I  wish  most 
sincerely  there  was  not  a  slave  in  the  province.     It  always 
appeared  a  most  iniquitous  scheme  to  me  —  to  fight  our- 


42  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

selves  for  what  we  are  daily  robbing  and  plundering  from 
those  who  have  as  good  a  right  to  freedom  as  we  have. 
You  know  my  mind  upon  this  subject. 

I  left  all  our  little  ones  well,  and  shall  return  to  them 
to-night.  I  hope  to  hear  from  you  by  the  return  of  the 
bearer  of  this,  and  by  Revere.  I  long  for  the  day  of  your 
return,  yet  look  upon  you  as  much  safer  where  you  are 

—  but  I  know  it  will  not  do  for  you.     Not  one  action  has 
been   brought    to   this   court;  no    business   of  any    sort  in 
your  way.     All  law  ceases  and  the  gospel  will   soon  fol 
low,  for  they  are  supporters  of  each  other.     Adieu.     My 
father  hurries  me.  Yours  most  sincerely. 

24.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  25  September,  1774. 

I  WOULD  not  lose  the  opportunity  of  writing  to  you, 
though  I  must  be  short.  Tedious  indeed  is  our  business 

—  slow   as   snails.     I  have  not  been  used  to  such  ways. 
We  sit  only  before  dinner.     We  dine  at  four  o'clock.    We 
are  crowded  with  a  levee  in  the  evening. 

Fifty  gentlemen  meeting  together,  all  strangers,  are 
not  acquainted  with  each  other's  language,  ideas,  views, 
designs.  They  are,  therefore,  jealous  of  each  other  — 
fearful,  timid,  skittish. 

25.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  29  September,  1774. 

SITTING  down  to  write  you  is  a  scene  almost  too  ten 
der  for  the  state  of  my  nerves. 

It  calls  up  to  my  view  the  anxious,  distressed  state  you 
must  be  in,  amidst  the  confusion  and  dangers  which  sur 
round  you.  I  long  to  return  and  administer  all  the  con 
solation  in  my  power,  but  when  I  shall  have  accomplished 
all  the  business  I  have  to  do  here,  I  know  not,  and  if  it 
should  be  necessary  to  stay  here  till  Christmas,  or  longer, 
in  order  to  effect  our  purposes,  I  am  determined  patiently 
to  wait. 

Patience,  forbearance,  long-suffering,  are  the  lessons 
taught  here  for  our  province,  and,  at  the  same  time,  abso- 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  43 

lute  and  open  resistance  to  the  new  Government.  I  wish 
I  could  convince  gentlemen  of  the  danger  or  impracti 
cability  of  this  as  fully  as  I  believe  it  myself.  The  art 
and  address  of  ambassadors  from  a  dozen  belligerent 
powers  of  Europe ;  nay,  of  a  conclave  of  cardinals  at 
the  election  of  a  Pope  ;  or  of  the  princes  in  Germany  at 
the  choice  of  an  Emperor,  would  not  exceed  the  spec 
imens  we  have  seen  ;  yet  the  Congress  all  profess  the 
same  political  principles.  They  all  profess  to  consider  our 
province  as  suffering  in  the  common  cause,  and  indeed 
they  seem  to  feel  for  us  as  if  for  themselves.  We  have 
had  as  great  questions  to  discuss  as  ever  engaged  the  at 
tention  of  men,  and  an  infinite  multitude  of  them. 

I  received  a  very  kind  letter  from  Deacon  Palmer,1  ac 
quainting  me  with  Mr.  Crauch's  designs  of  removing  to 
Braintree,  which  I  approve  very  much,  and  wish  I  had  a 
house  for  every  family  in  Boston,  and  abilities  to  provide 
for  them  in  the  country.  I  submit  it  to  you,  my  dear, 
whether  it  would  not  be  best  to  remove  all  the  books  and 
papers  and  furniture  in  the  office  at  Boston  up  to  Brain- 
tree.  There  will  be  no  business  there  nor  anywhere,  I 
suppose,  and  my  young  friends  can  study  there  better 
than  in  Boston,  at  present. 

I  shall  be  killed  with  kindness  in  this  place.  We  go  to 
Congress  at  nine,  arid  there  we  stay,  most  earnestly  en 
gaged  in  debates  upon  the  most  abstruse  mysteries  of  state, 
until  three  in  the  afternoon  ;  then  we  adjourn,  and  go  to 
dine  with  some  of  the  nobles  of  Pennsylvania  at  four 
o'clock,  and  feast  upon  ten  thousand  delicacies,  and  sit 
drinking  Madeira,  Claret,  and  Burgundy,  till  six  or  seven, 
and  then  go  home  fatigued  to  death  with  business,  com 
pany,  and  care.  Yet  I  hold  out  surprisingly. 

1  Joseph  Palmer,  a  gentleman  of  some  fortune  who  had  emigrated  from 
Great  Britain  in  1746.  He  had  married  the  sister  of  Mr.  Cranch,  who  came 
.00,  and  had  settled  upon  a  beautiful  spot  in  Braintree,  then  and  still  known 
as  Germantown.  A  brief  account  of  his  services  during  the  Revolution  is  to 
be  found  in  the  New  Enylander,  for  January,  1845. 


44  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 


26.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^Philadelphia,  7  October,  1774. 

I  THANK  you  for  all  your  kind  favors.  I  wish  I 
could  write  to  you  much  oftener  than  I  do.  I  wish  I 
could  write  to  you  a  dozen  letters  every  day.  But  the 
business  before  me  is  so  arduous,  and  takes  up  my  time 
so  entirely,  that  I  cannot  write  oftener.  I  had  the  char 
acters  and  tempers,  the  principles  and  views,  of  fifty  gen 
tlemen,  total  strangers  to  me,  to  study,  and  the  trade,  pol 
icy,  and  whole  interest  of  a  dozen  provinces  to  learn,  when 
I  came  here.  I  have  multitudes  of  pamphlets,  newspa 
pers,  and  private  letters  to  read.  I  have  numberless  plans 
of  policy  and  many  arguments  to  consider.  I  have  many 
visits  to  make  and  receive,  much  ceremony  to  endure, 
which  cannot  be  avoided,  which,  you  know,  I  hate. 

There  is  a  great  spirit  in  the  Congress.  But  our  peo 
ple  must  be  peaceable.  Let  them  exercise  every  day  in 
the  week  if  they  will,  the  more  the  better.  Let  them 
furnish  themselves  with  artillery,  arms,  and  ammunition. 
Let  them  follow  the  maxim  which  you  say  they  have 
adopted,  "  In  times  of  peace  prepare  for  war."  But  let 
them  avoid  war  if  possible  —  if  possible,  I  say. 

Mr.  Revere  will  bring  you  the  doings  of  the  Congress, 
who  are  now  all  around  me,  debating  what  advice  to  give 
to  Boston  and  the  Massachusetts  Bay. 

We  are  all  well ;  hope  our  family  is  so.  Remember  me 
to  them  all.  I  have  advised  you  before  to  remove  my 
office  from  Boston  to  Braintree.  It  is  now,  I  think,  ab 
solutely  necessary.  Let  the  best  care  be  taken  of  all 
books  and  papers.  Tell  all  my  clerks  to  mind  their  books 
and  study  hard,  for  their  country  will  stand  in  need  of 
able  counselors.  I  must  give  you  a  general  license  to 
make  my  compliments  to  all  my  friends  and  acquaint 
ances.  I  have  not  time  to  name  them  particularly.  I 
wish  they  would  all  write  to  me.  If  they  leave  letters  at 
Edes  and  Gill's,  they  will  soon  be  sent  to  me. 

I  long  to  be  at  home,  but  I  cannot  say  when.  I  will 
never  leave  the  Congress  until  it  rises,  and  when  it  will 


1774.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  45 

rise,  I  cannot  say.  And  indeed  I  cannot  say  but  we  are 
better  here  than  anywhere.  We  have  fine  opportunities 
to  serve  Boston  and  Massachusetts,  by  acquainting  the 
whole  continent  with  the  true  state  of  them.  Our  resi 
dence  here  greatly  serves  the  cause.  The  spirit  and  prin 
ciples  of  liberty  here  are  greatly  cherished  by  our  presence 
and  conversation.  The  elections  of  last  week  prove  this. 
Mr.  Dickinson  was  chosen,  almost  unanimously,  a  repre 
sentative  of  the  county.  The  broad-brims  began  an  op 
position  to  your  friend,  Mr.  Mifflin,  because  he  was  too 
warm  in  the  cause.  This  instantly  alarmed  the  friends  of 
liberty,  and  ended  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Mifflin  by  eleven 
hundred  votes  out  of  thirteen,  and  in  the  election  of  our 
secretary,  Mr.  Charles  Thomson,  to  be  a  burgess  with  him. 
This  is  considered  here  as  a  most  complete  and  decisive 
victory  in  favor  of  the  American  cause.  And  it  is  said 
it  will  change  the  balance  in  the  legislature  against  Mr. 
Galloway,  who  has  been  supposed  to  sit  on  the  skirts  of 
the  American  advocates. 

Mrs.  Mifflin,  who  is  a  charming  Quaker  girl,  often  in 
quires  kindly  after  your  health. 

Adieu,  my  dear  wife.  God  bless  you  and  yours ;  so 
wishes  and  prays,  without  ceasing,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

27.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

9  October,  1774. 

I  AM  wearied  to  death  with  the  life  I"lead.  The  busi 
ness  of  the  Congress  is  tedious  beyond  expression.  This 
assembly  is  like  no  other  that  ever  existed.  Every  man 
in  it  is  a  great  man,  an  orator,  a  critic,  a  statesman  ; 
and  therefore  every  man  upon  every  question  must  show 
his  oratory,  his  criticism,  and  his  political  abilities.  The 
consequence  of  this  is  that  business  is  drawn  and  spun  out 
to  an  immeasurable  length.  I  believe  if  it  was  moved 
and  seconded  that  we  should  come  to  a  resolution  that 
three  and  two  make  five,  we  should  be  entertained  with 
logic  and  rhetoric,  law,  history,  politics,  and  mathematics, 
and  then  —  we  should  pass  the  resolution  unanimously  in 
the  affirmative.  The  perpetual  round  of  feasting,  too, 


46  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

which  we  are  obliged  to  submit  to,  makes  the  pilgrimage 
more  tedious  to  me. 

This  day  I  went  to  Dr.  Allison's  meeting  in  the  fore 
noon,  and  heard  the  Dr. ;  1  a  good  discourse  upon  the 
Lord's  supper.  This  is  a  Presbyterian  meeting.  I  con 
fess  I  am  not  fond  of  the  Presbyterian  meetings  in  this 
town.  I  had  rather  go  to  Church.  We  have  better  ser 
mons,  better  prayers,  better  speakers,  softer,  sweeter  mu 
sic,  and  genteeler  company.  And  I  must  confess  that  the 
Episcopal  church  is  quite  as  agreeable  to  my  taste  as  the 
Presbyterian.  They  are  both  slaves  to  the  domination  of 
the  priesthood.  I  like  the  Congregational  way  best,  next 
to  that  the  Independent. 

This  afternoon,  led  by  curiosity  and  good  company,  I 
strolled  away  to  mother  church,  or  rather  to  grandmother 
church.  I  mean  the  Romish  chapel.  I  heard  a  good, 
short  moral  essay  upon  the  duty  of  parents  to  their  chil 
dren,  founded  in  justice  and  charity,  to  take  care  of  their 
interests,  temporal  and  spiritual.  This  afternoon's  enter 
tainment  was  to  me  most  awful  and  affecting  ;  the  poor 
wretches  fingering  their  beads,  chanting  Latin  not  a  word  of 
which  they  understood ;  their  pater  nosters  and  ave 
Marias  ;  their  holy  water  ;  their  crossing  themselves  per 
petually;  their  bowing  to  the  name  of  Jesus,  whenever 
they  hear  it ;  their  bowings  and  kneelings  and  genuflec 
tions  before  the  altar.  The  dress  of  the  priest  was  rich 
with  lace.  His  pulpit  was  velvet  and  gold.  The  altar- 
piece  was  very  rich ;  little  images  and  crucifixes  about ; 
wax  candles  lighted  up.  But  how  shall  I  describe  the  pic 
ture  of  our  Saviour  in  a  frame  of  marble  over  the  altar, 
at  full  length,  upon  the  cross  in  the  agonies,  and  the  blood 
dropping  and  streaming  from  his  wounds !  The  music, 
consisting  of  an  organ  and  a  choir  of  singers,  went  all  the 
afternoon  except  sermon  time.  And  the  assembly  chanted 
most  sweetly  and  exquisitely. 

Here  is  everything  which  can  lay  hold  of  the  eye,  ear, 

1  Francis  Allison,  D.  D.,  was  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Philadelphia,  as  well  as  Vice  Provost  and  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy  in 
the  college  then  recently  established  in  that  city.  He  came  from  Ireland  in 
1735,  and  died  highly  respected  on  the  28th  of  November,  1777. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL   ADAMS.  47 

and  imagination  —  everything  which  can  charm  and  be 
witch  the  simple  and  ignorant.  I  wonder  how  Luther 
ever  broke  the  spell.  Adieu.1 

\ 

28.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  16  October,  1774. 

MY  MUCH  LOVED  FRIEND,  —  I  dare  not  express  to  you, 
at  three  hundred  miles'  distance,  how  ardently  I  long  for 
your  return.  I  have  some  very  miserly  wishes,  and  cannot 
consent  to  your  spending  one  hour  in  town,  till,  at  least,  I 
have  had  you  twelve.  The  idea  plays  about  my  heart,  un 
nerves  my  hand,  whilst  I  write ;  awakens  all  the  tender 
sentiments  that  years  have  increased  and  matured,  and 
which,  when  with  me,  every  day  was  dispensing  to  you. 
The  whole  collected  stock  of  ten  weeks'  absence  knows  not 
how  to  brook  any  longer  restraint,  but  will  break  forth 
and  flow  through  my  pen.  May  the  like  sensations  enter 
thy  breast,  and  (spite  of  all  the  weighty  cares  of  state) 
mingle  themselves  with  those  I  wish  to  communicate ;  for, 
in  giving  them  utterance,  I  have  felt  more  sincere  pleasure 
than  I  have  known  since  the  10th  of  August.2  Many  have 
been  the  anxious  hours  I  have  spent  since  that  day  ;  the 
threatening  aspect  of  our  public  affairs,  the  complicated  dis 
tress  of  this  province,  the  arduous  and  perplexed  business 
in  which  you  are  engaged,  have  all  conspired  to  agitate  my 
bosom  with  fears  and  apprehensions  to  which  I  have  here 
tofore  been  a  stranger ;  and,  far  from  thinking  the  scene 
closed,  it  looks  as  though  the  curtain  was  but  just  drawn, 
and  only  the  first  scene  of  the  infernal  plot  disclosed.  And 
whether  the  end  will  be  tragical,  Heaven  alone  knows.  You 
cannot  be,  I  know,  nor  do  I  wish  to  see  you,  an  inactive 
spectator  ;  but  if  the  sword  be  drawn,  I  bid  adieu  to  all 
domestic  felicity,  and  look  forward  to  that  country  where 
there  are  neither  wars  nor  rumors  of  war,  in  a  firm  belief, 
that  through  the  mercy  of  its  King  we  shall  both  rejoice 
there  together. 

1  This  is  the  last  of  Mr.  Adams's  letters  during  his  first  visit  to  Philadel 
phia.     On  the  28th  he  left  that  city.     The  Congress  had  adjourned  on  the 
21st. 

2  The  date  of  Mr.  Adams's  departure. 


48  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  (October, 

I  greatly  fear  that  the  arm  of  treachery  and  violence  is 
lifted  over  us,  as  a  scourge  and  heavy  punishment  from 
Heaven  for  our  numerous  offenses,  and  for  the  misirnprove- 
ment  of  our  great  advantages.  If  we  expect  to  inherit  the 
blessings  of  our  fathers,  we  should  return  a  little  more  to 
their  primitive  simplicity  of  manners,  and  not  sink  into  in 
glorious  ease.  We  have  too  many  high-sounding  words, 
and  too  few  actions  that  correspond  with  them.  I  have 
spent  one  Sabbath  in  town  since  you  left.  I  saw  no  differ 
ence  in  respect  to  ornament,  etc. ;  but  in  the  country  you 
must  look  for  that  virtue,  of  which  you  find  but  small 
glimmerings  in  the  metropolis.  Indeed,  they  have  not  the 
advantages,  nor  the  resolution,  to  encourage  our  own  man 
ufactories,  which  people  in  the  country  have.  To  the 
mercantile  part,  it  is  considered  as  throwing  away  their 
own  bread ;  but  they  must  retrench  their  expenses,  and  be 
content  with  a  small  share  of  gain,  for  they  will  find  but 
few  who  will  wear  their  livery.  As  for  me,  I  will  seek 
wool  and  flax,  and  work  willingly  with  my  hands ;  and 
indeed  there  is  occasion  for  all  our  industry  and  economy. 
You  mention  the  removal  of  our  books,  etc.,  from  Boston  ;  * 
I  believe  they  are  safe  there,  and  it  would  incommode  the 
gentlemen  to  remove  them,  as  they  would  not  then  have  a 
place  to  repair  to  for  study.  I  suppose  they  would  not 
choose  to  be  at  the  expense  of  boarding  out.  Mr.  Wil 
liams,  I  believe,  keeps  pretty  much  with  his  mother.  Mr. 
Hill's  father  had  some  thoughts  of  removing  up  to  Brain- 
tree,  provided  he  could  be  accommodated  with  a  house, 
which  he  finds  very  difficult. 

Mr.  Cranch's  last  determination  was  to  tarry  in  town 
unless  anything  new  takes  place.  His"  friends  in  town  op 
pose  his  removal  so  much  that  he  is  determined  to  stay. 
The  opinion  you  have  entertained  of  General  Gage  is,  I 
believe,  just.  Indeed,  he  professes  to  act  only  upon  the 
defensive.  The  people  in  the  country  begin  to  be  very 
anxious  for  the  Congress  to  rise  ;  they  have  no  idea  of  the 
weighty  business  you  have  to  transact,  and  their  blood  boils 
with  indignation  at  the  hostile  preparations  they  are  con- 

l  Letter  of  Mr.  Adams,  29  September,  1774. 


1774.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  49 

stant  witnesses  of.  Mr.  Quincy's  so  secret  departure  is 
matter  of  various  speculation ;  some  say  he  is  deputed  by 
the  Congress,  others  that  he  is  gone  to  Holland,  and  the 
Tories  say  he  is  gone  to  be  hanged.1 

I  rejoice  at  the  favorable  account  you  give  me  of  your 
health.  May  it  be  continued  to  you.  My  health  is  much 
better  than  it  was  last  fall ;  some  folks  say  I  grow  very  fat. 
I  venture  to  write  almost  anything  in  this  letter,  because  I 
know  the  care  of  the  bearer.  He  will  be  most  sadly  dis 
appointed  if  you  should  be  broken  up  before  he  arrives,  as 
he  is  very  desirous  of  being  introduced  by  you  to  a  number 
of  gentlemen  of  respectable  character.  I  almost  envy  him, 
that  he  should  see  you  before  I  can.  Mr.  Thaxter  and  Mr. 
Rice  present  their  regards  to  you.  Uncle  Quincy,  too,  sends 
his  love  to  you.  He  is  very  good  to  call  and  see  me,  and 
so  have  many  other  of  my  friends  been.  Colonel  Warren2 
and  lady  were  here  on  Monday,  and  send  their  love  to  you. 
The  Colonel  promised  to  write.  Mrs.  Warren  will  spend 
a  day  or  two,  on  her  return,  with  me. 

Your  mother  sends  her  love  to  you  ;  and  all  your  fam 
ily,  too  numerous  to  name,  desire  to  be  remembered.  You 
will  receive  letters  from  two  who  are  as  earnest  to  write  to 
papa  as  if  the  welfare  of  a  kingdom  depended  upon  it.3  If 
you  can  give  any  guess,  within  a  month,  let  me  know  when 
you  think  of  returning. 

Your  most  affectionate  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 


1  See  the  Memoir  of  the  Life  of  Josiah  Quincy,  J?*.,  by  his  son,  Josiah 
Quincy,  p.  182. 

a  James  Warren,  of  Plymouth. 

3  One  of  these  letters  has  been  preserved.  The  writer  was  at  this  time  seven 
years  old.  His  subsequent  career  may  make  it  interesting  enough  to  print. 
It  is  written  in  a  tolerably  good,  boy's  hand,  as  follows:  — 

October  13,  1774. 

SIR,  —  I  have  been  trying  ever  since  you  went  away  to  learn  to  write  you  a 
letter.  I  shall  make  poor  work  of  it ;  but,  sir,  mamma  says  you  will  accept 
my  endeavors,  and  that  my  duty  to  you  may  be  expressed  in  poor  writing  as 
well  as  good.  I  hope  I  grow  a  better  boy,  arid  that  you  will  have  no  occasion 
to  be  ashamed  of  me  when  you  return.  Mr.  Thaxter  says  I  learn  my  books 
well.  He  is  a  very  good  master.  I  read  my  books  to  mamma.  We  all  long 
to  see  you.  I  am,  sir,  your  dutiful  son,  JOHN  QUIXCY  ADAMS. 

4 


50  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 


29.  JOHN  ADA^IS. 

""'Hartford,!  30  April,  1775. 

NEW  YORK  has  appointed  an  ample  representation  in 
our  Congress,  and  has  appointed  a  Provincial  Congress. 
The  people  of  the  city  have  seized  the  city  arms  and  am 
munition  out  of  the  hands  of  the  mayor,  who  is  a  creature 
of  the  Governor.  Lord  North  will  certainly  be  disappointed 
in  his  expectation  of  seducing  New  York.  The  Tories 
there  durst  not  show  their  heads.  The  Jerseys  are  aroused, 
and  greatly  assist  the  friends  of  liberty  in  New  York. 
North  Carolina  has  done  bravely ;  chosen  the  old  dele 
gates  in  Provincial  Congress,  and  then  confirmed  the  choice 
in  General  Assembly,  in  opposition  to  all  that  Governor 
Martin  could  do.  The  Assembly  of  this  colony  is  now  sit 
ting  at  Hartford.  We  are  treated  with  great  tenderness, 
sympathy,  friendship,  and  respect.  Everything  is  doing 
by  this  colony  that  can  be  done  by  men,  both  for  New  York 
and  Boston.  Keep  your  spirits  composed  and  calm,  and 
don't  suffer  yourself  to  be  disturbed  by  idle  reports  and  friv 
olous  alarms.  We  shall  see  better  times  yet.  Lord  North 
is  insuring  us  success.  I  am  wounded  to  the  heart  with 
the  news,  this  moment  told  me,  of  Josiah  Quincy's  death.2 

30.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/  Hartford,  2  May,  1775. 

OUR  hearts  are  bleeding  for  the  poor  people  of  Boston. 
What  will  or  can  be  done  for  them  I  can't  conceive.  God 
preserve  them. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  write,  by  our  committee  who 
were  sent  to  this  colony,3  just  to  let  you  know  that  I  am 
comfortable,  and  shall  proceed  this  afternoon.  Pray  write 
to  me,  and  get  all  my  friends  to  write,  and  let  me  be  in 
formed  of  everything  that  occurs.  Send  your  letters  to 

i  Mr.  Adams  left  home  on  the  14th,  on  his  second  mission  as  a  delegate  of 
Massachusetts. 

'2  Mr.  Quincy  died  before  the  vessel  which  bore  him  home  could  reach  its 
destination. 

3  This  committee  had  been  sent  to  Connecticut  under  an  alarm  of  a  sepa 
rate  negotiation,  which  is  explained  by  Dr.  Gordon,  Vol.  II.,  p.  19. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  51 

Colonel  Palmer  or  Dr.  Warren,  who  will  convey  them. 
They  will  reach  me  sooner  or  later.  This  colony  is  rais 
ing  six  thousand  men.  Rhode  Island,  fifteen  hundred. 
New  York  has  shut  up  their  port,  seized  the  custom 
house,  arms,  ammunition,  etc.,  called  a  Provincial  Congress, 
and  entered  into  an  association  to  stand  by  whatever  shall 
be  ordered  by  the  Continental  and  their  Provincial  Con 
gress.  Dr.  Cooper  1  fled  on  board  a  man  of  war,  and  the 
Tories  are  humbled  in  the  dust. 

Tell  my  brothers  1  have  bought  some  military  books, 
and  intend  to  buy  more,  so  that  I  shall  come  back  qualified 
to  make  them  complete  officers.  Write  me  whether  either 
of  them  intends  to  take  a  command  in  the  army.  I  won't 
advise  them,  but  leave  them  to  their  own  inclinations  and 
discretion.  But,  if  they  should  incline,  they  should  apply 
to  Colonel  Palmer  and  Dr.  Warren  soon. 


31.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

MR.  ELIOT,  of  Fairfield,  is  this  moment  arrived,  on 
his  way  to  Boston.  He  read  us  a  letter  from  the  Dr., 
his  father,  dated  yesterday  sennight,  being  Sunday.  The 
Dr.'s  description  of  the  melancholy  of  the  town  is  enough 
to  melt  a  stone.  The  trials  of  that  unhappy  and  devoted 
people  are  likely  to  be  severe  indeed.  God  grant  that  the 
furnace  of  affliction  may  refine  them.  God  grant  that 
they  may  be  relieved  from  their  present  distress. 

It  is  arrogance  and  presumption,  in  human  sagacity,  to 
pretend  to  penetrate  far  into  the  designs  of  Heaven.  The 
most  perfect  reverence  and  resignation  becomes  us,  but  I 
cannot  help  depending  upon  this,  that  the  present  dreadful 
calamity  of  that  beloved  town  is  intended  to  bind  the  col 
onies  together  in  more  indissoluble  bonds,  and  to  animate 

1  Dr.  Myles  Cooper,  an  Englishman,  graduated  at  Oxford,  and  sent  out  by 
Archbishop  Seeker  to  be  president  of  King's  College.  He  was  an  old  school 
tligh  Church  and  State  man,  and  proved  one  of  the  most  active  opponents 
of  the  Revolutionary  movement.  The  rumor  here  mentioned  was  not  true 
at  this  time.  But  eight  days  later  the  Dr.  narrowly  escaped  rough  treat 
ment  by  a  mob,  from  whom  he  fled,  and  found  his  way  on  board  the  Kingfisher^ 
which  took  him  to  England.  He  died  at  Edinburgh  in  1785. 


52  FAMILIAR  LETTERS. 

their  exertions  at  this  great  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  man 
kind.  It  has  this  effect  in  a  most  remarkable  degree,  as 
far  as  I  have  yet  seen  or  heard.  It  will  plead  with  all 
America  with  more  irresistible  persuasion  than  angels 
trumpet-tongued. 

In  a  cause  which  interests  the  whole  globe,  at  a  time 
when  my  friends  and  country  are  in  such  keen  distress,  I 
am  scarcely  ever  interrupted  in  the  least  degree  by  appre 
hensions  for  my  personal  safety.  I  am  often  concerned 
for  you  and  our  dear  babes,  surrounded,  as  you  are,  by 
people  who  are  too  timorous  and  too  much  susceptible  of 
alarms.  Many  fears  and  jealousies  and  imaginary  dangers 
will  be  suggested  to  you,  but  I  hope  you  will  not  be  im 
pressed  by  them.  In  case  of  real  danger,  of  which  you 
cannot  fail  to  have  previous  intimations,  fly  to  the  woods 
with  our  children.  Give  my  tenderest  love  to  them,  and 
to  all. 

.32.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  4  May,  1775. 

I  HAVE  but  little  news  to  write  you.  Everything  of 
that  kind  you  will  learn  by  a  more  accurate  hand  than 
mine.  Things  remain  in  much  the  same  situation  here 
that  they  were  when  you  went  away.  There  has  been 
no  descent  upon  the  seacoast.  Guards  are  regularly  kept, 
and  people  seem  more  settled  and  are  returning  to  their 
husbandry.  I  feel  somewhat  lonely.  Mr.  Thaxter  is 
gone  home.  Mr.  Rice  is  going  into  the  army,  as  cap 
tain  of  a  company.  We  have  no  school.  I  know  not 
what  to  do  with  John.  As  government  is  assumed,  I  sup 
pose  courts  of  justice  will  be  established,  and  in  that  case 
there  mav  be  business  to  do.  If  so,  would  it  not  be  best 
for  Mr.  Thaxter  to  return  ?  They  seem  to  be  discouraged 
in  the  study  of  law,  and  think  there  never  will  be  any 
business  for  them.  I  could  have  wished  they  had  consulted 
you  upon  the  subject,  before  you  went  away. 

I  suppose  you  will  receive  two  or  three  volumes  of  that 
forlorn  wretch  Hutchinson's  letters.1  Among  many  other 

1  Accidentally  discovered  by  Mr.  Samuel  Henshaw  in  the  garret  of  Hutch 
inson's  house  at  Milton.  See  Gordon's  History,  Vol.  II.,  p.  29. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  53 

things,  I  hear  he  wrote  in  1772,  that  Deacon  Phillips  and 
you  had  like  to  have  been  chosen  into  the  Council,  but,  if 
you  had,  you  should  have  shared  the  same  fate  with  Bowers.1 
May  the  fate  of  Mordecai  be  his.  There  is  nobody  ad 
mitted  into  town  yet.  I  have  made  two  or  three  attempts 
to  get  somebody  in.  but  cannot  succeed  ;  so  have  not  been 
able  to  do  the  business  you  left  in  charge  with  me.  I 
want  very  much  to  hear  from  you,  how  you  stood  your 
journey,  and  in  what  state  you  find  yourself  now.  I  felt 
very  anxious  about  you  ;  though  I  endeavored  to  be  very 
insensible  and  heroic,  yet  my  heart  felt  like  a  heart  of 
lead.  The  same  night  you  left  me,  I  heard  of  Mr.  Quin- 
cy's  death,  which,  at  this  time,  was  a  most  melancholy 
event ;  especially  as  he  wrote  in  minutes,  which  he  left 
behind,  that  he  had  matters  of  consequence  intrusted  with 
him,  which,  for  want  of  a  confidant,  must  die  with  him.2 
I  went  to  see  his  distressed  widow  last  Saturday,  at  the 
Colonel's  ;  and  in  the  afternoon,  from  an  alarm  they  had, 
she  and  her  sister,  with  three  others  of  the  family,  took 
refuge  with  me  and  tarried  all  night.  She  desired  me  to 
present  her  regards  to  you,  and  let  you  know  she  wished 
you  every  blessing,  —  should  always  esteem  you  as  a  sin 
cere  friend  of  her  deceased  husband.  Poor,  afflicted  woman ; 
my  heart  was  wounded  for  her.  I  must  quit  the  subject, 
and  entreat  you  to  write  me  by  every  opportunity. 

Yours,  PORTIA. 

33.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

7  May,  1775. 

I  RECEIVED  by  the  Deacon  two  letters  3  from  you,  this 
day,  from  Hartford.  I  feel  a  recruit  of  spirits  upon  the 
reception  of  them,  and  the  comfortable  news  which  they 
contain.  We  had  not  heard  anything  from  North  Caro 
lina  before,  and  could  not  help  feeling  anxious  lest  we 
should  find  a  defection  there,  arising  more  from  their  an 
cient  feuds  and  animosities  than  from  any  settled  ill-will 

1  That  is,  would  have  received  the  Governor's  negative. 

2  Memoir  of  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  p.  345. 

3  Nos.  29,  30,  page  50. 


54  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

in  the  present  contest ;  but  the  confirmation  of  the  choice 
of  their  delegates  by  their  Assembly  leaves  not  a  doubt  of 
their  firmness.  Nor  doth  the  eye  say  unto  the  hand,  "  I 
have  no  need  of  thee."  The  Lord  will  not  cast  off  his 
people,  neither  will  He  forsake  his  inheritance.  Great 
events  are  most  certainly  in  the  womb  of  futurity  ;  and,  if 
the  present  chastisements  which  we  experience  have  a 
proper  influence  upon  our  conduct,  the  event  will  certainly 
be  in  our  favor.  The  distresses  of  the  inhabitants  of  Bos 
ton  are  beyond  the  power  of  language  to  describe  ;  there 
are  but  very  few  who  are  permitted  to  come  out  in  a  day  ; 
they  delay  giving  passes,  make  them  wait  from  hour  to 
hour,  and  their  counsels  are  not  two  hours  together  alike. 
One  day,  they  shall  come  out  with  their  effects ;  the  next 
day,  merchandise  is  not  effects.  One  day,  their  household 
furniture  is  to  come  out ;  the  next,  only  wearing  apparel ; 
the  next,  Pharaoh's  heart  is  hardened,  and  he  refuseth  to 
hearken  to  them,  and  will  not  let  the  people  go.  May 
their  deliverance  be  wrought  out  for  them,  as  it  was  for 
the  children  of  Israel.  I  do  not  mean  by  miracles,  but  by 
the  interposition  of  Heaven  in  their  favor.  They  have, 
taken  a  list  of  all  those  who  they  suppose  were  concerned 
in  watching  the  tea,  and  every  other  person  whom  they 
call  obnoxious,  and  they  and  their  effects  are  to  suffer  de 
struction.  Yours,  PORTIA. 

34.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

New  York,  May  8,  1775. 

I  HAVE  an  opportunity  by  Captain  Beale  to  write  you 
a  line.  We  all  arrived  last  night  in  this  city.  It  would 
take  many  sheets  of  paper  to  give  you  a  description  of  the 
reception  we  found  here.  The  militia  were  air  in  arms, 
and  almost  the  whole  city  out  to  meet  us.  The  Tories  are 
put  to  flight  here  as  effectually  as  the  Mandamus  Council 
at  Boston.  They  have  associated  to  stand  by  Continental 
and  Provincial  Congresses,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  Such  a  spirit  was 
never  seen  in  New  York. 

Jose  Bass  met  with  a  misfortune  in  the  midst  of  some 
of  the  unnecessary  parade  that  was  made  about  us.  My 


1775.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  55 

mare,  being  galled  with  an  ugly  buckle  in  the  tackling, 
suddenly  flinched  and  started  in  turning  short  round  a  rock, 
in  a  shocking  bad  road,  overset  the  sulky,  which  frightened 
her  still  more.  She  ran  and  dashed  the  body  of  the  sulky 
all  to  pieces.  I  was  obliged  to  leave  my  sulky,  slip  my 
baggage  on  board  Mr.  Cushing's  carriage,  buy  me  a  saddle, 
and  mount  on  horseback.  I  am  thankful  that  Bass  was 
not  killed.  He  was  in  the  utmost  danger,  but  not  materi 
ally  hurt. 

I  am  sorry  for  this  accident,  both  on  account  of  the 
trouble  and  expense  occasioned  by  it.  But  in  times  like 
these  such  little  accidents  should  not  afflict  us. 

Let  me  caution  you,  my  dear,  to  be  upon  your  guard 
against  the  multitude  of  affrights  and  alarms  which,  I  fear, 
will  surround  you.  Yet  I  hope  the  people  with  you  will 
grow  more  composed  than  they  were. 

Our  prospect  of  a  union  of  the  colonies  is  promising  in 
deed.  Never  was  there  such  a  spirit.  Yet  I  feel  anxious, 
because  there  is  always  more  smoke  than  fire  —  more  noise 
than  music. 

Our  province  is  nowhere  blamed.     The  accounts  of  the 
battle  are  exaggerated  in  our  favor.     My  love   to  all.     I 
pray  for  you  all,  and  hope  to  be  prayed  for.     Certainly! 
there  is  a  Providence  ;    certainly  we  must  depend   upon 
Providence,  or   we  fail  ;  certainly  the  sincere  prayers  ofj 
good  men  avail  much.      But  resignation  is  our  duty  in  all' 
events.     I    have   this   day  heard    Mr.   Livingston   in   the 
morning,  and  Mr.  Rogers  this  afternoon  —  excellent  men,      i 
and  excellent  prayers  and  sermons. 

35.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  24  May,  1775. 

I  SUPPOSE  you  have  had  a  formidable  account  of  the 
alarm  we  had  last  Sunday  morning.  When  I  rose,  about 
six  o'clock,  I  was  told  that  the  drums  had  been  some  time 
beating,  and  that  three  alarm  guns  were  fired  ;  that  Wey- 
mouth  bell  had  been  ringing,  and  Mr.  Weld's  was  then 
ringing.  I  immediately  sent  off  an  express  to  know  the 


56  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  |May, 

occasion,  and  found  the  whole  town  in  confusion.1  Three 
sloops  and  one  cutter  had  come  out  and  dropped  anchor 
just  below  Great  Hill.  It  was  difficult  to  tell  their  de 
signs  ;  some  supposed  they  were  coming  to  Germantown, 
others  to  Weymouth ;  people,  women,  children,  from  the 
iron-works,  came  flocking  down  this  way  ;  every  woman 
and  child  driven  off  from  below  my  father's  ;  my  father's 
family  flying.  The  Dr.2  is  in  great  distress,  as  you 
may  well  imagine,  for  my  aunt  had  her  bed  thrown  into  a 
•cart,  into  which  she  got  herself,  and  ordered  the  boy  to 
drive  her  to  Bridge  water,  which  he  did.  The  report  was 
to  them  that  three  hundred  had  landed,  and  were  upon 
their  march  up  into  town.  The  alarm  flew  like  lightning, 
and  men  from  all  parts  came  flocking  down,  till  two  thou 
sand  were  collected.  But  it  seems  their  expedition  was  to 
Grape  Island  for  Levett's  hay.  There  it  was  impossible  to 
reach  them,  for  want  of  boats ;  but  the  sight  of  so  many 
persons,  and  the  firing  at  them,  prevented  their  getting 
more  than  three  tons  of  hay,  though  they  had  carted  much 
more  down  to  the  water.  At  last  a  lighter  was  mustered, 
and  a  sloop  from  Hingham,  which  had  six  port-holes. 
Our  men  eagerly  jumped  on  board,  and  put  off  for  the  isl 
and.  As  soon  as  they  perceived  it,  they  decamped.  Our 
people  landed  upon  the  island,  and  in  an  instant  set  fire  to 
the  hay,  which,  with  the  barn,  was  soon  consumed,  — 
about  eighty  tons,  it  is  said.  We  expect  soon  to  be  in 
continual  alarms,  till  something  decisive  takes  place. 

We  wait,  with  longing  expectation,  in  hopes  to  hear  the 
best  accounts  from  you,  with  regard  to  union  and  harmony, 
etc.  We  rejoice  greatly  on  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Franklin, 
as  he  must  certainly  be  able  to  inform  you  very  particu 
larly  of  the  situation  of  affairs  in  England.  I  wish  you 
would,  if  you  can  get  time,  be  as  particular  as  you  mayy 

1  This  alarm  came  from  the  part  of  the  town  farthest  removed  from  Boston. 
Mr.  Weld's  meeting-house  was  in  the  south  precinct,  and  immediately  to  the 
west  of  Weymouth.     It  was  accessible  by  the  river  Monatiquot,  which  was  the 
«ause  of  the  apprehension. 

2  Dr.  Cotton  Tufts,  a  resident  of  Weymouth,  the  neighboring  town.     He 
had  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  John  Quincy,  a  sister  of  the  writer's 
•mother. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  57 

when  you  write.  Every  one  hereabouts  coines  to  me,  to 
hear  what  accounts  I  have.  I  was  so  unlucky  as  not  to 
get  the  letter  you  wrote  at  New  York.  Captain  Beale 
forgot  it,  and  left  it  behind.  We  have  a  flying  report  here, 
with  regard  to  New  York,  but  cannot  give  any  credit  to  it, 
as  yet,  that  they  had  been  engaged  with  the  ships,  which 
Gage  sent  there,  and  had  taken  them,  with  great  loss  upon 
both  sides. 

Yesterday  we  had  an  account  of  three  ships  coming  into 
Boston.  I  believe  it  is  true,  as  there  was  a  salute  from 
the  other  ships,  though  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  from 
whence  they  come.  I  suppose  you  have  had  an  account 
of  the  fire,  which  did  much  damage  to  the  warehouses,  and 
added  greatly  to  the  distresses  of  the  inhabitants,  whilst  it 
continued.  The  bad  conduct  of  General  Gage  1  was  the 
means  of  its  doing  so  much  damage. 

Our  house  has  been,  upon  this  alarm,  in  the  same  scene 
of  confusion  that  it  was  upon  the  former.  Soldiers  com 
ing  in  for  a  lodging,  for  breakfast,  for  supper,  for  drink,  etc. 
Sometimes  refugees  from  Boston,  tired  and  fatigued,  seek 
an  asylum  for  a  day,  a  night,  a  week.  You  can  hardly 
imagine  how  we  live  ;  yet,  — 

"  To  the  houseless  child  of  want, 

Our  doors  are  open  still  ; 
And  though  our  portions  are  but  scant, 
We  give  them  with  good  will." 

My  best  wishes  attend  you,  both  for  your  health  and  hap 
piness,  and  that  you  may  be  directed  into  the  wisest  and 
best  measures  for  our  safety  and  the  security  of  our  poster 
ity.  I  wish  you  were  nearer  to  us  ;  we  know  not  what  a 
day  will  bring  forth,  nor  what  distress  one  hour  may  throw 
us  into.  Hitherto  I  have  been  able  to  maintain  a  calmness 
and  presence  of  mind,  and  hope  I  shall,  let  the  exigency 
of  the  time  be  what  it  will.  Adieu,  breakfast  calls. 

Your  affectionate,  PORTIA. 

l  He  had  taken  the  engines  under  guard,  in  consequence  of  a  report  that 
the  liberty  party  intended  to  fire  the  town.  See  The  Remembrancer  for 
1775,  pp.  95,  98. 


58  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

36.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  26  May,  1775. 

I  EMBRACE  an  opportunity  by  two  young  gentlemen  from 
Maryland  to  write  you  a  line,  on  friend  Minim's  table. 
The  names  of  these  gentlemen  are  Hall.  They  are  of  one 
of  the  best  families  in  Maryland,  and  have  independent  for 
tunes  —  one  a  lawyer,  the  other  a  physician.  If  you  have 
an  opportunity,  I  beg  you  would  show  to  these  gentlemen 
all  the  civilities  possible.  Get  them  introduced  to  your 
uncle  Quincy,  and  to  your  father  and  Dr.  Tufts,  and  let 
everything  be  done  to  show  them  respect.  They  come  five 
hundred  miles  to  fight  for  you.  They  are  volunteers  to  our 
camp,  where  they  intend  to  spend  the  season. 

My  love  and  duty  where  they  should  be.  I  have  not  so 
good  health  as  I  had  before,  and  I  have  harder  service. 
Our  business  is  more  extensive  and  complicated,  more 
affecting  and  hazardous.  But  our  unanimity  will  not  be 
less.  We  have  a  number  of  new  and  very  ingenious 
members. 

37.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

29  May,  1775. 

OUR  amiable  friend  Hancock,  who,  by  the  way,  is  our 
president,  is  to  send  his  servant  to-morrow  for  Cambridge. 
I  am  to  send  a  few  lines  by  him.  If  his  man  should  come 
to  you  to  deliver  this  letter,  treat  him  very  kindly,  because 
he  is  a  kind,  humane,  clever  fellow. 

We  are  distressed  here  for  want  of  intelligence  and  in 
formation  from  you  and  from  Boston,  Cambridge,  etc.,  etc., 
etc.  We  have  no  regular  advices.  I  received  one  kind 
letter  from  you  in  one  from  Colonel  Warren.  An  excellent 
letter  I  had  from  him.  It  has  done  him  great  honor  and 
me  much  good. 

My  duty  and  love  to  all.  I  have  had  miserable  health 
and  blind  eyes  ever  since  I  left  you.  But  I  found  Dr. 
Young  here,  who,  after  scolding  at  me  quantum  sumcit  for 
not  taking  his  advice,  has  pilled  and  electuaried  me  into 
pretty  good  order.  My  eyes  are  better,  my  head  is  better, 
and  so  are  my  spirits. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  59 

This  Congress  will  support  the  Massachusetts.  But  we 
have  an  amazing  field  of  business,  before  us.  When  I  shall 
have  the  joy  of  meeting  you  and  our  little  ones  I  know  not. 

The  military  spirit  which  runs  through  the  continent  is 
truly  amazing.  This  city  turns  out  two  thousand  men  every 
day.  Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  colonel,  Mr.  Reed  a  lieutenant- 
colonel,  Mr.  Mifflin  a  major.  He  ought  to  have  been  a 
general,  for  he  has  been  the  animating  soul  of  the  whole. 

Colonel  Washington  appears  at  Congress  in  his  uniform, 
and,  by  his  great  experience  and  abilities  in  military  mat 
ters,  is  of  much  service  to  us. 

Oh  that  I  were  a  soldier  !  I  will  be.  I  am  reading 
military  books.  Everybody  must,  and  will,  and  shall  be 
a  soldier. 

38.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  2  June,  1775. 

I  HAD  yesterday  the  pleasure  of  two  letters  from  you,  by 
Dr.  Church.  We  had  been  so  long  without  any  intelli 
gence  from  our  country,  that  the  sight  of  the  Dr.  gave 
us  great  joy.  I  have  received  no  letters  from  England, 
until  the  Doctor  brought  me  one  from  Mr.  Dilly.1 

Mr.  Henly  goes,  to-morrow,  to  the  camp  at  Cambridge. 
I  am  not  so  ill  as  I  was  when  I  left  you,  though  not  well. 

Our  debates  and  deliberations  are  tedious  ;  from  nine  to 
four,  five, 'and  once  near  six  —  our  determinations  very 
slow  —  I  hope  sure.  The  Congress  will  support  us,  but  in 
their  own  way.  Not  precisely  in  that  way  which  I  could 
wish,  but  in  a  better  way  than  we  could  well  expect,  con 
sidering  what  a  heterogeneous  body  it  is. 

The  prospect  of  crops  in  all  the  Southern  colonies  never 
was  exceeded.  What  will  become  of  the  immense  quan 
tities  of  provisions,  when  the  non-exportation  takes  place,  I 
can't  conceive.  Surely  we  shall  not  starve. 

Poor  Bostonians  !  My  heart  bleeds  for  them  day  and 
night.  God  preserve  and  bless  them ! 

1  Edward  Dilly,  the  publisher  in  London,  who  seems  to  have  sympathized 
with  the  patriotic  party  here,  and  with  whom  Mr.  Adams  carried  on  a  corre 
spondence. 


60  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

Was  you  frightened  when  the  sheep-stealers  got  a  drub 
bing  at  Grape  Island  ?  Father  Smith  prayed  for  our  scow 
crew,  I  doubt  not ;  but  how  did  my  dear  friend  Dr.  Tufts 
sustain  the  shock  ?  My  duty  and  love  to  them  and  all 
others  who  justly  claim  them. 

Dr.  Warren  writes  me  about  my  brother.  My  love  to 
both  my  brothers,  my  duty  to  my  mother  and  your  uncle 
Quincy.  Tell  him  I  hope  our  company  continue  their  ex 
ercises.  He  would  burst  to  see  whole  companies  of  armed 
Quakers  in  this  city,  in  uniforms,  going  through  the  man 
ual  and  mano3uvres  like  regular  troops. 

39.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  6  June,  1775. 

I  HAVE  received  yours  of  24  May,  and  a  copy  of  your 
letter  to  Mr.  Dilly,.  and  one  letter  from  him.  Your  letter 
to  him  is  a  very  agreeable  one.  I  hope  you  will  con 
tinue  to  write  him,  whenever  you  have  opportunity. 

I  am 'afraid  you  will  have  more  alarms  than  are  neces 
sary,  in  consequence  of  the  brush  at  Grape  Island.  But 
I  hope  you  will  maintain  your  philosophical  composure. 

Saturday  last  I  took  a  little  excursion,  with  Colonel 
Dyer  and  Mr.  Deane,  down  to  Wilmington,  a  pretty  village 

(about  thirty  miles  below  this  city,  upon  Delaware  River, 
and  kept  Sabbath  there.  I  find  myself  better  for  the 
ride. 

We  have  a  charming  prospect  here  of  a  plentiful  sum 
mer  ;  hope  it  is  so  with  you. 

With  yours,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  a  letter  from  your 
uncle  Smith.  I  was  rejoiced  to  find  him  and  his  family 
escaped  from  prison. 

Pray  let  me  know  whether  your  brother  is  in  the  army, 
and  in  what  command.  Let  me  know,  too,  about  my  broth 
ers.  My  love  to  them. 

40.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

10  June,  1775. 

DR.  CHURCH  returns  to-day,  and,  with  smarting  eyes, 
I  must  write  a  few  lines  to  you.  I  never  had  in  my 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  61 

life  such  severe  duty  to  do,  and  was  never  worse  qualified 
to  do  it.  My  eyes  depress  my  spirits,  and  my  health  is 
quite  infirm.  Yet  I  keep  about,  and  attend  Congress  very 
constantly. 

I  wish  I  could  write  freely  to  you,  my  dear,  but  I  can 
not.  The  scene  before  me  is  complicated  enough.  It 
requires  better  eyes  and  better  nerves  than  mine ;  yet 
I  will  not  despond.  I  will  lay  all  difficulties  prostrate 
at  rny  feet.  My  health  and  life  ought  to  be  hazarded  in 
the  cause  of  my  country,  as  well  as  yours,  and  all  my 
friends. 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  to  you  any  adequate  idea  of 
the  embarrassments  I  am  under.  I  wish  that  you  and 
our  friends  may  not  be  in  greater  distress  than  I  am.  I 
fear  you  are.  Pray  let  me  know  as  often  as  possible. 

Our  friends  write  to  Mr. ,  not  to  me,  this  time.  They 

don't  let  us  know  the  state  of  Boston  people,  nor  the 
state  of  the  army  in  Boston,  so  exactly  as  I  could  wish. 

Two  days  ago  we  saw  a  very  wonderful  phenomenon  in 
this  city :  a  field-day,  on  which  three  battalions  of  soldiers 
were  reviewed,  making  full  two  thousand  nien,  battalion 
men,  light  infantry,  grenadiers,  riflemen,  light  horse,  artil 
lery  men  with  a  fine  train,  all  in  uniforms,  going  through 
the  manual  exercise  and  the  manoeuvres  with  remarkable 
dexterity.  All  this  has  been  accomplished  in  this  city 
since  the  19th  of  April ;  so  sudden  a  formation  of  an 
army  never  took  place  anywhere. 

In  Congress  we  are  bound  to  secrecy.  But,  under  the 
rose,  I  believe  that  ten  thousand  men  will  be  maintained 
in  the  Massachusetts,  and  five  thousand  in  New  York,  at 
the  Continental  expense. 

We  have  a  Major  Skene,  just  arrived  from  London 
with  a  commission  to  be  governor  of  Crown  Point  and 
Ticonderoga,  and  surveyor  of  the  woods,  etc.,  a  close 
prisoner.  He  must  dispute  for  his  government  with  Ar 
nold  and  Allen.  My  love  and  duty  where  due. 


62  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [Juno, 

41.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

'     Same  date. 

DR.  CHURCH  has  given  me  a  lotion  which  has  helped 
my  eyes  so  much  that  I  hope  you  will  hear  from  me 
oftener  than  you  have  done.  Pray  write  me  as  often 
and  particularly  as  possible.  Send  your  letters  to  the 
care  of  the  Committee  of  Safety,  who  will  forward  them. 
I  long  to  know  how  you  fare,  and  whether  you  are  often 
discomposed  with  alarms.  Guard  yourself  against  them, 
my  dear.  I  think  you  are  in  no  danger.  Don't  let  the 
groundless  fears  and  fruitful  imaginations  of  others  affect 
you.  Let  me  know  what  guards  are  kept,  and  who  were 
principally  concerned  in  the  battle  at  Grape  Island,  as 
well  as  that  at  Chelsea.  The  reputation  of  our  country 
men  for  valor  is  very  high.  I  hope  they  will  maintain  it, 
as  well  as  that  for  prudence,  caution,  and  conduct. 

When  I  shall  come  home  I  know  not.  We  have  busi 
ness  enough  before  us,  to  detain  us  until  the  31st  of  next 
December.  No  assembly  ever  had  a  greater  number  of 
great  objects  before  them.  Provinces,  nations,  empires 
are  small  things  before  us.  I  wish  we  were  good  archi 
tects. 

42.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Weymouth,!  15  June,  1775. 

I  SAT  down  to  write  to  you  on  Monday,  but  really  could 
not  compose  myself  sufficiently ;  the  anxiety  I  suffered 
from  not  hearing  one  syllable  from  you  for  more  than  five 
weeks,  and  the  new  distress  arising  from  the  arrival  of  re 
cruits,  agitated  me  more  than  I  have  been  since  the  never- 
to-be-forgotten  14th  of  April.  I  have  been  much  revived 
by  receiving  two  letters  from  you  last  night ;  one  by  the 
servant  of  your  friend,  and  the  other  by  the  gentlemen  you 
mention,  though  they  both  went  to  Cambridge,  and  I  have 
not  seen  them.  I  hope  to  send  this  as  a  return  to  you. 

I  feared  much  for  your  health,  when  you  went  away.     I 

must  entreat  you  to  be  as  careful  as  you  can  consistently 

with  the  duty  you  owe  your  country.      That  consideration, 

alone,  prevailed  with  me  to  consent  to  your  departure  in  a 

l  This  is  dated  from  her  father's  house. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL   ADAMS.  G3 

time  so  perilous  and  so  hazardous  to  your  family,  and  with 
a  body  so  infirm  as  to  require  the  tenderest  care  and  nurs 
ing.  I  wish  you  may  be  supported  and  divinely  assisted 
in  this  most  important  crisis,  when  the  fate  of  empire 
depends  upon  your  wisdom  and  conduct.  I  greatly  rejoice 
to  hear  of  your  union  and  determination  to  stand  by  us. 

We  cannot  but  consider  the  great  distance  you  are  from 
us  as  a  very  great  misfortune,  when  our  critical  situation 
renders  it  necessary  to  hear  from  you  every  week,  and  will 
be  more  and  more  so,  as  difficulties  arise.  We  now  expect 
our  seacoast  ravaged  ;  perhaps  the  very  next  letter  I  write 
will  inform  you  that  I  am  driven  away  from  our  yet 
quiet  cottage.  Necessity  will  oblige  Gage  to  take  some 
desperate  steps.  We  are  told  for  truth  that  he  is  now  eight 
thousand  strong.  We  live  in  continual  expectation  of  alarms. 
Courage  I  know  we  have  in  abundance ;  conduct  I  hope 
we  shall  not  want ;  but  powder,  —  where  shall  we  get  a 
sufficient  supply  ?  I  wish  we  may  not  fail  there.  Every 
town  is  filled  with  the  distressed  inhabitants  of  Boston. 
Our  house  1  among  others  is  deserted,  and  by  this  time,  like 
enough,  made  use  of  as  a  barrack.  Mr.  Bowdoin  and  his  lady 
are  at  present  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  Borland,  and  are  going 
to  Middleborough,  to  the  house  of  Judge  Oliver.  He,  poor 
gentleman,  is  so  low  that  I  apprehend  he  is  hastening  to  a 
house  not  made  with  hands ;  he  looks  like  a  mere  skeleton, 
speaks  faint  and  low,  is  racked  with  a  violent  cough,  and, 
I  think,  far  advanced  in  a  consumption.  I  went  to  see 
him  last  Saturday.  He  is  very  inquisitive  of  every  person 
with  regard  to  the  times  ;  begged  I  would  let  him  know 
of  the  first  intelligence  I  had  from  you  ;  is  very  unable  to 
converse  by  reason  of  his  cough.  He  rides  every  pleasant 
day,  and  has  been  kind  enough  to  call  at  the  door  (though 
unable  to  get  out)  several  times.  He  says  the  \ery  name 
of  Hutchinson  distresses  him.  Speaking  of  him,  the  other 
day,  he  broke  out,  "  Religious  rascal !  how  I  abhor  his 
name!" 

Pray  be  as  particular  as  possible  when  you  write. 
Everybody  wants  to  hear  and  to  know  what  is  doing,  and 
1  In  Boston, 


64  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

what  may  be  communicated  do  not  fail  to  inform  me  of. 
All  our  friends  desire  to  be  kindly  remembered  to  you. 
Gage's  proclamation  you  will  receive  by  this  conveyance. 
All  the  records  of  time  cannot  produce  a  blacker  page. 
Satan,  when  driven  from  the  regions  of  bliss,  exhibited  not 
more  malice.  Surely  the  father  of  lies  is  superseded.  Yet 
we  think  it  the  best  proclamation  he  could  have  issued. 

I  shall,  whenever  I  can,  receive  and  entertain,  in  the 
best  manner  I  am  capable,  the  gentlemen  who  have  so 
generously  proffered  their  services  in  our  army.  Govern 
ment  is  wanted  in  the  army  and  elsewhere.  We  see  the 
want  of  it  more  from  so  large  a  body  being  together,  than 
when  each  individual  was  employed  in  his  own  domestic 
circle.  My  best  regards  attend  every  man  you  esteem. 
You  will  make  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Mifflin  and  lady. 
I  do  not  now  wonder  at  the  regard  the  ladies  express  for  a 
soldier.  Every  man  who  wears  a  cockade  appears  of 
double  the  importance  he  used  to  do,  and  I  feel  a  respect 
for  the  lowest  subaltern  in  the  army.  You  tell  me  you 
know  not  when  you  shall  see  me.  I  never  trust  myself 
long  with  the  terrors  which  sometimes  intrude  themselves 
upon  me. 

I  hope  we  shall  see  each  other  again,  and  rejoice  to 
gether  in  happier  days  ;  the  little  ones  are  well,  and  send 
duty  to  papa.  Don't  fail  of  letting  me  hear  from  you  by 
every  opportunity.  Every  line  is  like  a  precious  relic  of 
the  saints. 

.  I  have  a  request  to  make  of  you ;  something  like  the 
barrel  of  sand,  I  suppose  you  will  think  it,  but  really  of 
much  more  importance  to  me.  It  is,  that  you  would  send 
out  Mr.  Bass,  and  purchase  me  a  bundle  of  pins  and  put 
them  in  your  trunk  for  me.  The  cry  for  pins  is  so  great 
that  what  I  used  to  buy  for  seven  shillings  and  sixpence 
are  now  twenty  shillings,  and  not  to  be  had  for  that.  A 
bundle  contains  six  thousand,  for  which  I  used  to  give  a 
dollar ;  but  if  you  can  procure  them  for  fifty  shillings,  or 
three  pounds,1  pray  let  me  have  them. 

I  am,  with  the  tenderest  regard, 

Your         PORTIA 

l  Ten  dollars. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  65 

43.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  11  June,  1775. 

I  HAVE  been  this  morning  to  hear  Mr.  Duffield,  a 
preacher  in  this  city,  whose  principles,  prayers,  and  ser 
mons  more  nearly  resemble  those  of  our  New  England 
clergy  than  any  that  I  have  heard.  His  discourse  was  a 
kind  of  exposition  on  the  thirty-fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah. 
America  was  the  wilderness,  and  the  solitary  place,  and  he 
said  it  would  be  glad,  "  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 
fie  labored  "  to  strengthen  the  weak  hands  and  confirm 
the  feeble  knees."  He  "  said  to  them  that  were  of  a  fear 
ful  heart,  Be  strong,  fear  not.  Behold,  your  God  will 
come  with  vengeance,  even  God  with  a  recompense ;  he 
will  come  and  save  you,"  ';  No  lion  shall  be  there,  nor 
any  ravenous  beast  shall  go  up  thereon,  but  the  redeemed 
shall  walk  there,"  etc.  He  applied  the  whole  prophecy 
to  this  country,  and  gave  us  as  animating  an  entertain 
ment  as  I  ever  heard.  He  filled  and  swelled  the  bosom 
of  every  hearer.  I  hope  you  have  received  a  letter,  in 
which  I  inclosed  you  a  pastoral  letter  from  the  synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  ;  by  this  you  will  see,  that  the 
clergy  this  way  are  but  now  beginning  to  engage  in  politics, 
and  they  engage  with  a  fervor  that  will  produce  wonderful 

effects. 

17  June. 

I  can  now  inform  you  that  the  Congress  have  made 
choice  of  the  modest,  and  virtuous,  the  amiable,  generous, 
and  brave  George  Washington,  Esquire,  to  be  General  of 
tKe  American  army,  and  that  he  is  to  repair,  as  soon  as 
possible,  to  the  camp  before  Boston.  This  appointment 
will  have  a  great  effect  in  cementing  and  securing  the 
union  of  these  colonies.  The  continent  is  really  in  earnest, 
in  defending  the  country.  They  have  voted  ten  compa 
nies  of  riflemen  to  be  sent  from  Pennsylvania,  Maryland, 
and  Virginia,  to  join  the  army  before  Boston.  These  are 
an  excellent  species  of  light  infantry.  They  use  a  pecul 
iar  kind  of  musket,  called  a  rifle.  It  has  circular  or l 

grooves   within  the  barrel,  and   carries  a  ball  with  great 

1  The  word  effaced  in  the  manuscript. 
5 


66  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [Jan6> 

exactness  to  great  distances.     They  are  the  most  accurate 
marksmen  in  the  world. 

I  begin  to  hope  we  shall  not  sit  all  summer.  I  hope 
the  people  of  our  province  will  treat  the  General  with  all 
that  confidence  and  affection,  that  politeness  and  respect, 
which  is  due  to  one  of  the  most  important  characters  in 
the  world.  The  liberties  of  America  depend  uponjiim,  in 
a  great  degree.  I  have  never  been  able  to  obtain  from 
our  province  any  regular  and  particular  intelligence,  since 
I  left  it.  Kent,  Swift,  Tudor,  Dr.  Cooper,  Dr.  Winthrop, 
and  others  wrote  me  often  last  fall ;  not  a  line  from  them 
this  time. 

I  have  found  this  Congress  like  the  last.  When  we 
first  came  together,  I  found  a  strong  jealousy  of  us  from 
New  England,  and  the  Massachusetts  in  particular  ;  sus 
picions  entertained  of  designs  of  independency;  an  Amer 
ican  republic;  Presbyterian  principles,  and  twenty  other 
things.  Our  sentiments  were  heard  in  Congress  with 
great  caution,  and  seemed  to  make  but  little  impression  ; 
but  the  longer  we  sat,  the  more  clearly  they  saw  the  ne 
cessity  of  pushing  vigorous  measures.  It  has  been  so  now. 
Every  day  we  sit,  the  more  we  are  convinced  that  the 
designs  against  us  are  hostile  and  sanguinary,  and  that 
nothing  but  fortitude,  vigor,  and  perseverance  can  save  us. 

But  America  is  a  great,  unwieldy  body.  Its  progress 
must  be  slow.  It  is  like  a  large  fleet  sailing  under  convoy. 
The  fleetest  sailers  must  wait  for  the  dullest  and  slowest. 
Like  a  coach  and  six,  the  swiftest  horses  must  be  slack 
ened,  and  the  slowest  quickened,  that  all  may  keep  an 
even  pace. 

It  is  long  since  I  heard  from  you.  I  fear  you  have 
been  kept  in  continual  alarms.  My  duty  and  love  to  all. 
My  dear  children,  come  here  and  kiss  me.  We  have  ap 
pointed  a  Continental  fast.  Millions  will  be  upon  their 
knees  at  once  before  their  great  Creator,  imploring  his  for-, 
giveness  and  blessing  ;  his  smiles  on  American  councils 
and  arms. 

My  duty  to  your  uncle  Quincy  ;  your  papa,  mamma, 
and  mine  ;  my  brothers  and  sisters,  and  yours.  Adieu. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  67 

44.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

18  June,  1775. 

THIS  letter,  I  presume,  will  go  by  the  brave  and  ami 
able  General  Washington.  Our  army  will  have  a  group  of 
officers  equal  to  any  service.  Washington,  Ward,  Lee, 
Gates,  Gridley,  together  with  all  the  other  New  England 
officers,  will  make  a  glorious  council  of  war. 

This  Congress  are  all  as  deep  as  the  delegates  from  the 
Massachusetts,  and  the  whole  continent  as  forward  as 
Boston.  We  shall  have  a  redress  of  grievances  or  an 
assumption  of  all  the  powers  of  government,  legislative, 
executive,  and  judicial,  throughout  the  whole  continent, 
very  soon.  Georgia  is  bestirring  itself ;  I  mean  the  whole 
of  it.  The  parish  of  St.  John's,  which  is  one  third  of  it, 
was  with  us  before. 

45.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Sunday,  18  June. 

THE  day  —  perhaps  the  decisive  day  —  is  come,  on 
which  the  fate  of  America  depends.  My  bursting  heart 
must  find  vent  at  my  pen.  I  have  just  heard  that  our  dear 
friend,  Dr.  Warren,  is  no  more,  but  fell  gloriously  fighting 
for  his  country  ;  saying,  Better  to  die  honorably  in  the  field, 
than  ignominiously  hang  upon  the  gallows.  Great  is  our 
loss.  He  has  distinguished  himself  in  every  engagement, 
by  his  courage  and  fortitude,  by  animating  the  soldiers,  and 
leading  them  on  by  his  own  example.  A  particular  account 
of  these  dreadful,  but  I  hope  glorious  days,  will  be  trans 
mitted  you,  no  doubt,  in  the  exactest  manner. 

"  The  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the 
strong ;  but  the  God  of  Israel  is  He  that  giveth  strength 
and  power  unto  his  people.  Trust  in  him  at  all  times,  ye 
people,  pour  out  your  hearts  before  him ;  God  is  a  refuge 
for  us."  Charlestown  is  laid  in  ashes.  The  battle  began 
upon  our  intrenchments  upon  Bunker's  Hill,  Saturday 
morning  about  three  o'clock,  arid  has  not  ceased  yet,  and  it 
is  now  three  o'clock  Sabbath  afternoon. 

It  is  expected  they  will  come  out  over  the  Neck  to-night, 
and  a  dreadful  battle  must  ensue.  Almighty  God,  cover 


68  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  .'June, 

the  heads  of  our  countrymen,  and  be  a  shield  to  oar  dear 
friends  !  How  many  have  fallen,  we  know  not.  The  con 
stant  roar  of  the  cannon  is  so  distressing  that  we  cannot 
eat,  drink,  or  sleep.  May  we  be  supported  and  sustained 
in  the  dreadful  conflict.  I  shall  tarry  here  till  it  is  thought 
unsafe  by  my  friends,  and  then  I  have  secured  myself  a  re 
treat  at  your  brother's,  who  has  kindly  offered  me  part  of 
his  house.  I  cannot  compose  myself  to  write  any  further 
at  present.  I  will  add  more  as  I  hear  further. 

Tuesday  Afternoon. 

I  have  been  so  much  agitated,  that  I  have  not  been  able 
to  write  since  Sabbath  day.  When  I  say  that  ten  thousand 
reports  are  passing,  vague  and  uncertain  as  the  wind,  I  be 
lieve  I  speak  the  truth.  I  am  not  able  to  give  you  any 
authentic  account  of  last  Saturday,  but  you  will  not  be  des 
titute  of  intelligence.  Colonel  Palmer  has  just  sent  me 
word  that  he  has  an  opportunity  of  conveyance.  Incorrect 
as  this  scrawl  will  be,  it  shall  go.  I  ardently  pray  that  you 
may  be  supported  through  the  arduous  task  you  have  be 
fore  you.  I  wish  I  could  contradict  the  report  of  the 
Dr.'s  death  ;  but  it  is  a  lamentable  truth,  and  the  tears  of 
multitudes  pay  tribute  to  his  memory ;  those  favorite  lines 
of  Collins  continually  sound  in  my  ears  :  — 

"  How  sleep  the  brave,"  etc. 

I  must  close,  as  the  Deacon  waits.  I  have  not  pre 
tended  to  be  particular  with  regard  to  what  I  have  heard, 
because  I  know  you  will  collect  better  intelligence.  -The 
spirits  of  the  people  are  very  good ;  the  loss  of  Charles- 
town  affects  them  no  more  than  a  drop  in  the  bucket. 

I  am,  most  sincerely,  yours,  PORTIA. 

46.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

22  June,  1775. 

I  RECEIVED  yours  of  June  10th,1  for  which  I  thank  you. 
I  want  you  to  be   more  particular.     Does  every  member 
feel  for  us  ?     Can  they  realize  what  we  suffer  ?     And  can 
1  See  Mr.  Adams's  letter,  No.  40,  p.  60. 


1775.1  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  69 

they  believe  with  what  patience  and  fortitude  we  endure 
the  conflict  ?  Nor  do  we  even  tremble  at  the  frowns  of 
power. 

You  inquire  of  me  who  were  at  the  engagement  at  Grape 
Island.  I  may  say,  with  truth,  all  of  Weyrnouth,  Brain- 
tree,  Hingham,  who  were  able  to  bear  arms,  and  hundreds 
from  other  towns  within  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  miles  of 
Weyrnouth.  Our  good  friend,  the  Dr.,1  is  in  a  miser 
able  state  of  health,  and  hardly  able  to  go  from  his  own 
house  to  my  father's.  Danger,  you  know,  sometimes  makes 
timid  men  bold.  He  stood  that  day  very  well,  and  gener 
ously  attended,  with  drink,  biscuit,  flints,  etc.,  five  hundred 
men,  without  taking  any  pay.  He  has  since  been  chosen 
one  of  the  committee  of  correspondence  for  that  town,  and 
has  done  much  service  by  establishing  a  regular  method  of 
alarm  from  town  to  town.  Both  your  brothers  were  there  ; 
your  younger  brother,  with  his  company,  who  gained  honor 
by  their  good  order  that  day.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
venture  on  board  a  schooner  to  land  upon  the  island.  As 
to  Chelsea,  I  cannot  be  so  particular,  as  I  know  only  in 
general  that  Colonel  Putnam  commanded  there,  and  had 
many  gentlemen  volunteers.  We  have  two  companies  sta 
tioned  in  this  town :  at  Germantown,  Captain  Turner ;  at 
Squaritum,  Captain  Vinton  ;  in  Weymouth,  one ;  in  Hing 
ham,  two,  etc.  I  believe  I  shall  remove  your  books  this 
week  to  your  brother's.  We  think  it  advisable.  Colonel 
Quincy  has  procured  his  family  a  retreat  at  Deacon  Hoi- 
brook's.  Mr.  Cranch  has  one  at  Major  Bass's,  in  case  of 
necessity,  to  which  we  hope  not  to  be  driven.  We  hear 
that  the  troops  destined  for  New  York  are  all  expected 
here  ;  but  we  have  got  to  that  pass  that  a  whole  legion  of 
them  would  not  intimidate  us.  I  think  I  am  very  brave, 
upon  the  whole.  If  danger  comes  near  my  dwelling,  I 
suppose  I  shall  shudder.  We  want  powder,  but,  with  the 
blessing  of  Heaven,  we  fear  them  not.  Write  every  op 
portunity  you  can.  I  am,  yours,  PORTIA. 
1  Dr.  Tufts. 


70  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

47.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  23  June. 

I  HAVE  this  morning  been  out  of  town  to  accompany  our 
generals,  Washington,  Lee,  and  Schuyler,  a  little  way  on 
their  journey  to  the  American  camp  before  Boston.  The 
three  generals  were  all  mounted  on  horse-back,  accompa 
nied  by  Major  Mifflin,  who  is  gone  in  the  character  of  aid- 
de-camp.  All  the  delegates  from  the  Massachusetts,  with 
their  servants  and  carriages,  attended ;  many  others  of  the 
delegates  from  the  Congress ;  a  large  troop  of  light  horse 
in  their  uniforms  ;  many  officers  of  militia  besides,  in  theirs  ; 
music  playing,  etc.,  etc.  Such  is  the  pride  and  pomp  of 
war.  I,  poor  creature,  worn  out  with  scribbling  for  my 
bread  and  my  liberty,  low  in  spirits  and  weak  in  health, 
must  leave  others  to  wear  the  laurels  which  I  have  sown  ; 
others  to  eat  the  bread  which  I  have  earned  ;  a  common 
case. 

We  had,  yesterday,  by  the  way  of  New  York  and  New 
London,  a  report  which  distresses  us  almost  as  much  as 
that  we  had  last  fall  of  the  cannonade  of  Boston.  A  battle 
at  Bunker's  Hill  and  Dorchester  Point.  Three  colonels 
wounded,  Gardner  mortally.  We  wait  to  hear  more  par 
ticulars.  Our  hopes  and  fears  are  alternately  very  strong. 
If  there  is  any  truth  in  this  account,  you  must  be  in  great 
confusion.  God  Almighty's  providence  preserve,  sustain, 

and  comfort  you. 

27  June. 

This  moment  received  two  letters  from  you.  Courage, 
my  dear.  We  shall  be  supported  in  life  or  comforted  in 
death.  I  rejoice  that  my  countrymen  behaved  so  bravely, 
though  not  so  skillfully  conducted  as  I  could  wish.  I  hope 
this  defect  will  be  remedied  by  the  new  modeling  of  the 
army. 

My  love  everywhere. 

48.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  25  June,  1775. 

MY  father  has  been  more  afflicted  by  the  destruction  of 
Charlestown  than  by  anything  which  has  heretofore  taken 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  71 

place.  Why  should  not  his  countenance  be  sad,  when  the 
city,  the  place  of  his  father's  sepulchre,  lieth  waste,  and  the 
gates  thereof  are  consumed  with  fire  ?  Scarcely  one  stone 
remaineth  upon  another ;  but  in  the  midst  of  sorrow  we 
have  abundant  cause  of  thankfulness,  that  so  few  of  our 
brethren  are  numbered  with  the  slain,  whilst  our  enemies 
were  cut  down  like  the  grass  before  the  scythe.  But  one 
officer  of  all  the  Welsh  fusileers  remains  to  tell  his  story. 
Many  poor  wretches  die  for  want  of  proper  assistance  and 
care  of  their  wounds. 

Every  account  agrees  in  fourteen  or  fifteen  hundred  slain 
and  wounded  upon  their  side,  nor  can  I  learn  that  they 
dissemble  the  number  themselves.  We  had  some  heroes 
that  day,  who  fought  with  amazing  intrepidity  and  courage. 

"Extremity  is  the  trier  of  spirits  ; 
—  common  chances  common  men  can  bear." 
And,  "  When  the  sea  is  calm,  all  boats  alike 
Show  mastership  in  floating:  fortune's  blows 
When  most  struck  home,  being  bravely  warded,  crave 
A  iioble  cunning." 

I  hear  that  General  Howe  said  that  the  battle  upon  the 
Plains  of  Abram  was  but  a  bauble  to  this.  When  we  con 
sider  all  the  circumstances  attending  this  action,  we  stand 
astonished  that  our  people  were  not  all  cut  off.  They  had 
but  one  hundred  feet  intrenched,  the  number  who  were 
engaged  did  not  exceed  eight  hundred,  and  they  with  not 
half  ammunition  enough  ;  the  reinforcement  not  able  to 
get  to  them  seasonably.  The  tide  was  up,  and  high,  so 
that  their  floating  batteries  came  upon  each  side  of  the 
causeway,  and  their  row-galleys  kept  a  continual  fire. 
Added  to  this,  the  fire  from  Copp's  Hill,  and  from  the  ships  ; 
the  town  in  flames,  all  around  them,  and  the  heat  from  the 
flames  so  intense  as  scarcely  to  be  borne  ;  the  day  one 
of  the  hottest  we  have  had  this  season,  and  the  wind  blow 
ing  the  smoke  in  their  faces,  —  only  figure  to  yourself  all 
ihese  circumstances,  and  then  consider  that  we  do  not  count 
sixty  men  lost.1  My  heart  overflows  at  the  recollection. 

1  Of  course  the  statements  in  this  letter,  gathered  from  the  rumors  of  the  mo 
ment,  are  not  to  be  relied  on  as  precisely  accurate. 


72  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

We  live  in  continual  expectation  of  hostilities.  Scarcely 
a  day  that  does  not  produce  some ;  but,  like  good  Nehe- 
miah.  having  made  our  prayer  unto  God,  and  set  the  people 
with  their  swords,  their  spears,  and  their  bows,  we  will  say 
unto  them,  "  Be  not  ye  afraid  of  them  ;  remember  the  Lord, 
who  is  great  and  terrible,  and  fight  for  your  brethren,  your 
sons,  and  your  daughters,  your  wives  and  your  houses." 

I  have  just  received  yours  of  the  17th  of  June,  in  seven 
days  only ;  every  line  from  that  far  1  country  is  precious ;' 
you  do  not  tell  me  how  you  do,  but  I  will  hope  better. 
Alas,  you  little  thought  what  distress  we  were  in  the  day 
you  wrote.  They  delight  in  molesting  us  upon  the  Sab 
bath.  Two  Sabbaths  we  have  been  in  such  alarm  that  we 
have  had  no  meeting ;  this  day  we  have  sat  under  our  own 
vine  in  quietness  ;  have  heard  Mr.  Taft,  from  Psalms,  "  The 
Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his 
works."  The  good  man  was  earnest  and  pathetic ;  I  could 
forgive  his  weakness  for  the  sake  of  his  sincerity,  but  I  long 
for  a  Cooper  and  an  Eliot.  I  want  a  person  who  has 
feeling  and  sensibility,  who  can  take  one  up  with  him,  — 

And  "in  his  duty  prompt,  at  every  call," 

Can  "  watch,  and  weep,  and  pray,  and  feel  for  all." 

Mr.  Rice  joins  General  Heath's  regiment  to-morrow,  as 
adjutant.  Your  brother  is  very  desirous  of  being  in  the 
army,  but  your  good  mother  is  really  violent  against  it.  I 
cannot  persuade  nor  reason  her  into  a  consent.  Neither 
he  nor  I  dare  let  her  know  that  he  is  trying  for  a  place. 
My  brother  has  a  captain's  commission,  and  is  stationed  at 
Cambridge.  I  thought  you  had  the  best  of  intelligence,  or 
I  should  have  taken  pains  to  be  more  particular.  As  to 
Boston,  there  are  many  persons  yet  there  who  would  be 
.glad  to  get  out  if  they  could.  Mr.  Boylston,  and  Mr.  Gill, 
die  printer,  with  his  family,  are  held  upon  the  black  list,  it 
is  said.  'T  is  certain  they  watch  them  so  narrowly  that 
they  cannot  escape.  Mr.  Mather  got  out  a  day  or  two 
before  Charlestown  was  destroyed,  and  had  lodged  his 
papers  and  what  else  he  got  out  at  Mr.  Carey's,  but  they 
•were  all  consumed ;  so  were  many  other  people's,  who 
1  The  "  far  country  "  was  Philadelphia. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  73 

thought  they  might  trust  their  little  there  till  teams  could 
be  procured  to  remove  them.  The  people  from  the  alms- 
house  and  workhouse  were  sent  to  the  lines,  last  week,  to 
make  room  for  their  wounded,  they  say.  Medford  people 
are  all  removed.  Every  seaport  seems  in  motion.  O 
North,  may  the  groans  and  cries  of  the  injured  and  oppressed 
harrow  up  thy  soul.  We  have  a  prodigious  army,  but  we 
lack  many  accommodations  which  we  need.  I  hope  the 
appointment  of  these  new  Generals  will  give  satisfaction  ; 
they  must  be  proof  against  calumny.  In  a  contest  like  this, 
continual  reports  are  circulated  by  our  enemies,  and  they 
catch  with  the  unwary  and  the  gaping  crowd,  who  are  ready 
to  listen  to  the  marvelous  without  considering  of  conse 
quences,  even  though  their  best  friends  are  injured. 

I  have  not  ventured  to  inquire  one  word  of  you  about 
your  return.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  ought  to  wish  for 
it ;  it  seems  as  if  your  sitting  together  was  absolutely  neces 
sary,  whilst  every  day  is  big  with  events. 

Mr.  Bowdoin  called  Friday  and  took  his  leave  of  me, 
desiring  I  would  present  his  affectionate  regards  to  you.  I 
have  hopes  that  he  will  recover ;  he  has  mended  a  good  deal. 
He  wished  he  could  have  stayed  in  Braiutree,  but  his  lady 
was  fearful.  Yours  evermore,  PORTIA. 

49.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

5  July,  1775. 

I  HAVE  received  a  good  deal  of  paper  from  you.  I  wish 
it  had  been  more  covered  ;  the  writing  is  very  scant,  yet  I 
must  not  grumble.  I  know  your  time  is  not  yours  nor 
mine.  Your  labors  must  be  great  and  your  mouth  closed  ; 
but  all  you  may  communicate,  I  beg  you  would.  There  is 
a  pleasure,  I  know  not  whence  it  arises,  nor  can  I  stop  now 
to  find  it  out,  but  I  say  there  is  a  degree  of  pleasure  in  be 
ing  able  to  tell  news,  especially  any  that  so  nearly  concerns 
us,  as  all  your  proceedings  do. 

I  should  have  been  more  particular,  but  I  thought  you 
knew  everything  that  passed  here.  The  present  state  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Boston  is  that  of  the  most  abject  slaves, 
under  the  most  cruel  and  despotic  of  tyrants.  Among  many 


74  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

instances  I  could  mention,  let  me  relate  one.  Upon  the 
17th  of  June,  printed  handbills  were  posted  up  at  the  cor 
ners  of  the  streets,  and  upon  houses,  forbidding  any  inhab 
itants  to  go  upon  their  houses,  or  upon  any  eminence,  on 
pain  of  death  ;  the  inhabitants  dared  not  to  look  out  of 
their  houses,  nor  to  be  heard  or  seen  to  ask  a  question. 
Our  prisoners  were  brought  over  to  the  Long  Wharf,  and 
there  lay  all  night,  without  any  care  of  their  wounds,  or 
any  resting-place  but  the  pavements,  until  the  next  day, 
when  they  exchanged  it  for  the  jail,  since  which  we  hear 
they  are  civilly  treated.  Their  living  cannot  be  good,  as 
they  can  have  no  fresh  provisions  ;  their  beef,  we  hear,  is 
all  gone,  and  their  wounded  men  die  very  fast,  so  that  they 
have  a  report  that  the  bullets  were  poisoned.  Fish  they 
cannot  have,  they  have  rendered  it  so  difficult  to  procure ; 
and  the  admiral  is  such  a  villain  as  to  oblige  every  fishing 
schooner  to  pay  a  dollar  every  time  it  goes  out.  The 
money  that  has  been  paid  for  passes  is  incredible.  Some 
have  given  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  dollars,  to  get  out 
with  a  small  proportion  of  their  things.  It  is  reported  and 
believed  that  they  have  taken  up  a  number  of  persons  and 
committed  them  to  jail,  we  know  not  for  what  in  particu 
lar.  Master  Lovell  is  confined  in  the  dungeon  ;  a  son  of 
Mr.  Edes  is  in  jail,  and  one  Wiburt,  a  ship-carpenter,  is 
now  upon  trial  for  his  life.  God  alone  knows  to  what 
length  these  wretches  will  go,  and  will,  I  hope,  restrain 
their  malice. 

I  would  not  have  you  be  distressed  about  me.  Danger, 
they  say,  makes  people  valiant.  Hitherto  I  have  been 
distressed,  but  not  dismayed.  I  have  felt  for  my  country 
and  her  sons.  I  have  bled  with  them  and  for  them.  Not 
all  the  havoc  and  devastation  they  have  made  has  wounded 
me  like  the  death  of  Warren.  We  want  him  in  the  Sen 
ate  ;  we  want  him  in  his  profession  ;  we  want  him  in  the 
field.  We  mourn  for  the  citizen,  the  senator,  the  physi- 
cian,  and  the  warrior.  May  we  have  others  raised  up  in 
his  room. 

I  have  had  a  very  kind  and  friendly  visit  from  our  dear 
friends  Colonel  Warren,  lady,  and  son.  Mrs.  Warren 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  75 

spent  almost  a  week  with  me,  and  he  came  and  met  her 
here,  and  kept  Sabbath  with  me.  I  suppose  she  will  write 
to  you.  though  she  says  you  are  in  her  debt. 

You  scarcely  make  mention  of  Dr.  Franklin.  Surely 
he  must  be  a  valuable  member.  Pray  what  is  become  of 
your  Judas  ?  I  see  he  is  not  with  you  upon  the  list  of 
delegates.  I  wish  I  could  come  and  see  you.  I  never 
suffer  myself  to  think  you  are  about  returning  soon.  Can 
it,  will  it  be  ?  May  I  ask,  may  I  wish  for  it  ?  When 
once  I  expect  you,  the  time  will  crawl  till  I  see  you.  But 
hush  !  Do  you  know  it  is  eleven  o'clock  at  night  ?  We 
have  had  some  very  fine  rains  since  I  wrote  you  last.  I 
hope  we  shall  not  now  have  famine  added  to  war.  Grain, 
grain  is  what  we  want  here.  Meat  we  have  enough,  and 
to  spare.  Pray  don't  let  Bass  forget  my  pins.  Hard- 
wick  has  applied  to  me  for  Mr.  Bass  to  get  him  a  hundred 
of  needles,  number  six,  to  carry  on  his  stocking  weaving. 
We  shall  very  soon  have  no  coffee,  nor  sugar,  nor  pepper, 
here ;  but  whortleberries  and  milk  we  are  not  obliged  to 
commerce  for.  I  saw  a  letter  of  yours  to  Colonel  Palmer, 
by  General  Washington.  I  hope  I  have  one  too.  Good 
night.  With  thoughts  of  thee  do  I  close  my  eyes.  An 
gels  guard  and  protect  thee  ;  and  may  a  safe  return  ere 
long  bless  thy  PORTIA. 

50.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^/Philadelphia,  7  July,  1775. 

I  HAVE  received  your  very  agreeable  favors  of  June 
22  and  25.  They  contain  more  particulars  than  any  let 
ters  I  had  before  received  from  anybody. 

It  is  not  at  all  surprising  to  me,  that  the  wanton,  cruel, 
and  infamous  conflagration  of  Charlestown,  the  place  of  your 
father's  nativity,  should  nfHict  him.  Let  him  know  that  I 
sincerely  condole  with  him  on  that  melancholy  event.  It 
is  a  method  of  conducting  war  long  since  become  disreputa 
ble  among  civilized  nations.  But  every  year  brings  us  fresh 
evidence  that  we  have  nothing  to  hope  for  from  our  loving 
mother  country,  but  cruelties  more  abominable  than  those 
which  are  practiced  by  the  savage  Indians. 


76  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

The  account  you  give  me  of  the  numbers  slain  on  the 
side  of  our  enemies  is  afflicting  to  humanity,  although  it  is 
a  glorious  proof  of  the  bravery  of  our  worthy  countrymen. 
Considering  all  the  disadvantages  under  which  they  fought, 
they  really  exhibited  prodigies  of  valor.  Your  description 
of  the  distresses  of  the  worthy  inhabitants  of  Boston  and 
the  other  seaport  towns  is  enough  to  melt  a  heart  of  stone. 
Our  consolation  must  be  this,  my  dear,  that  cities  may  be 
rebuilt,  and  a  people  reduced  to  poverty  may  acquire  fresh 
property.  But  a  constitution  of  government,  once  changed 
from  freedom,  can  never  be  restored.  Liberty,  once  lost, 
is  ~lbst  forever.  When  the  people  once  surrender  their 
share  in  the  legislature,  and  their  right  of  defending  the 
limitations  upon  the  Government,  and  of  resisting  every 
encroachment  upon  them,  they  can  never  regain  it. 

The  loss  of  Mr.  Mather's  library,  which  was  a  collection 
of  books  and  manuscripts  made  by  himself,  his  father,  his 
grandfather,  and  great-grandfather,  and  was  really  very 
curious  and  valuable,  is  irreparable.  The  family  picture 
you  draw  is  charming  indeed.  My  dear  Abby,  Johnny, 
Charley,  and  Tommy,  I  long  to  see  you,  and  to  share  with 
your  mamma  the  pleasures  of  your  conversation.  I  feel 
myself  much  obliged  to  Mr.  Bowdoin,  Mr.  Wibird,  and  the 
two  families  you  mention,  for  their  civilities  to  you.  My 
compliments  to  them.  Does  Mr.  Wibird  preach  against 
oppression  and  the  other  cardinal  vices  of  the  times  ? 
Tell  him  the  clergy  here  of  every  denomination,  not  ex 
cepting  the  Episcopalian,  thunder  and  lighten  every  Sab 
bath.  They  pray  for  Boston  and  the  Massachusetts.  They 
thank  God  most  explicitly  and  fervently  for  our  remarka 
ble  successes.  They  pray  for  the  American  army.  They 
seem  to  feel  as  if  they  were  among  you. 

You  ask  if  every  member  feels  for  us  ?  Every  mem 
ber  says  he  does,  and  most  of  them  really  do.  But  most 
of  them  feel  more  for  themselves.  In  every  society  of 
men,  in  every  club  I  ever  yet  saw,  you  find  some  who  are 
timid,  their  fears  hurry  them  away  upon  every  alarm ; 
some  who  are  selfish  and  avaricious,  on  whose  callous 
hearts  nothing  but  interest  and  money  can  make  impres- 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS  77 

sion.  There  are  some  persons  in  New  York  and  Philadel 
phia  to  whom  a  ship  is  dearer  than  a  city,  and  a  few  bar 
rels  of  flour  than  a  thousand  lives  —  other  men's  lives,  I 
mean. 

You  ask,  Can  they  realize  what  we  suffer  ?  1  answer, 
No.  They  can't.  They  don't.  And,  to  excuse  them  as 
well  as  I  can,  I  must  confess,  I  should  not  be  able  to  do  it 
myself,  if  I  was  not  more  acquainted  with  it  by  experience 
than  they  are. 

I  am  grieved  for  Dr.  Tufts's  1  ill-health,  but  rejoiced  ex 
ceedingly  at  his  virtuous  exertions  in  the  cause  of  his 
country.  I  am  happy  to  hear  that  my  brothers  were  at 
Grape  Island,  and  behaved  well.  My  love  to  them,  and 
duty  to  my  mother. 

It  gives  me  more  pleasure  than  I  can  express,  to  learn 
that  you  sustain  with  so  much  fortitude  the  shocks  and 
terrors  of  the  times.  You  are  really  brave,  my  dear. 
You  are  a  heroine,  and  you  have  reason  to  be.  For  the 
worst  that  can  happen  can  do  you  no  harm.  A  soul  as 
pure,  as  benevolent,  as  virtuous  and  pious  as  yours,  has 
nothing  to  fear,  but  everything  to  hope  and  expect  from 
the  last  of  human  evils.  I  am  glad  you  have  secured  an 
asylum,  though  I  hope  you  will  not  have  occasion  for  it. 

There  is  an  amiable,  ingenious  hussy,  named  Betsey 
Smith,  for  whom  I  have  a  very  great  regard.  Be  pleased 
to  make  my  love  acceptable  to  her,  and  let  her  know  that 
her  elegant  pen  cannot  be  more  usefully  employed  than  in 
writing  letters  to  her  brother  at  Philadelphia,  though  it 
may  be  more  agreeably,  in  writing  billets-doux  to  young 
gentlemen. 

The  other  day,  after  I  had  received  a  letter  of  yours, 
with  one  or  two  others,  Mr.  William  Barrell  desired  to 
read  them.  I  put  them  into  his  hand,  and  the  next  morn 
ing  had  them  returned  in  a  large  bundle  packed  up  with 
two  great  heaps  of  pins,  with  a  very  polite  card  requesting 
Portia's  acceptance  of  them.  I  shall  bring  them  with  me 
when  I  return.  But  when  that  will  be  is  uncertain.  I 
hope  not  more  than  a  month  hence. 

1  Dr.  Tufts  lived  at  Weymouth. 


78  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

I  Lave  really  had  a  very  disagreeable  timu  of  it.  My 
health,  and  especially  my  eyes,  have  been  so  very  bad  that 
I  have  not  been  so  n't  for  business  as  I  ought ;  and  if  I  had 
been  in  perfect  health,  I  should  have  had,  in  the  present 
condition  of  my  country  and  my  friends,  no  taste  for  pleas 
ure.  But  Dr.  Young  has  made  a  kind  of  cure  of  my 
health,  and  Dr.  Church  of  my  eyes. 

I  have  received  two  kind  letters  from  your  uncle  Smith. 
Do  thank  him  for  them.  I  shall  forever  love  him  for 
them.  I  love  everybody  that  writes  to  me. 

I  am  forever  yours. 

51.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  16  July,  1775. 

I  HAVE  seen  your  letters  to  Colonels  Palmer  and  War 
ren.  I  pity  your  embarrassments.  How  difficult  the 
task  to  quench  the  fire  and  the  pride  of  private  ambition, 
and  to  sacrifice  ourselves  and  all  our  hopes  and  expecta 
tions  to  the  public  weal !  How  few  have  souls  capable  of 
so  noble  an  undertaking  !  Plow  often  are  the  laurels  worn 

O 

by  those  who  have  had  no  share  in  earning  them !  But 
there  is  a  future  recompense  of  reward,  to  which  the  up 
right  man  looks,  and  which  he  will  most  assuredly  obtain, 
provided  he  perseveres  unto  the  end. 

The  appointment  of  the  generals  Washington  and  Lee 
gives  universal  satisfaction.  The  people  have  the  highest 
opinion  of  Lee's  abilities,  but  you  know  the  continuation  of 
the  popular  breath  depends  much  upon  favorable  events. 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  both  the  generals  and  their 
aids-de-camp  soon  after  their  arrival,  and  of  being  person 
ally  made  known  to  them.  They  very  politely  express 
their  regard  for  you.  Major  Mifflin  said  he  had  orders 
from  you  to  visit  me  at  Braintree.  I  told  him  I  should  be 
very  happy  to  see  him  there,  and  accordingly  sent  Mr. 
Thaxter  to  Cambridge  with  a  card,  to  him  and  Mr.  Reed, 
to  dine  with  me.  Mrs.  Warren  and  her  son  were  to  be 
with  me.  They  very  politely  received  the  message,  and 
lamented  that  they  were  not  able  to  come,  upon  account  of 
expresses  which  they  were  on  that  day  to  get  in  readiness 
to  send  off. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  79 

I  was  struck  with  General  Washington.     You  had  pre 
pared  me  to  entertain  a  favorable  opinion  of  him,  but  I 
thought  the  half  was  not  told  me.     Dignity  with  ease  and  \ 
complacency,   the    gentleman  and    soldier,  look   agreeably    ' 
blended  in  him.     Modesty   marks  every  line  and  feature 
of  his  face.     Those  lines  of  Dryden  instantly  occurred  to 
me  :  — 

"  Mark  his  majestic  fabric ;  he  's  a  temple 
Sacred  by  birth,  and  built  by  hands  divine; 
His  soul 's  the  deity  that  lodges  there ; 
Nor  is  the  pile  unworthy  of  the  god." 

General  Lee  looks  like  a  careless,  hardy  veteran,  and  by 
his  appearance  brought  to  my  mind  his  namesake,  Charles 
the  Twelfth,  of  Sweden.  The  elegance  of  his  pen  far  ex 
ceeds  that  of  his  person. 

You  have  made  frequent  complaints  that  your  friends  do 
not  write  to  you.  I  have  stirred  up  some  of  them.  May 
not  I  in  my  turn  make  complaints  ?  All  the  letters  I  re 
ceive  from  you  seem  to  be  written  in  so  much  haste  that 
they  scarcely  leave  room  for  a  social  feeling.  They  let  me 
know  that  you  exist,  but  some  of  them  contain  scarcely  six 
lines.  I  want  some  sentimental  effusions  of  the  heart.  I 
am  sure  you  are  not  destitute  of  them.  Or  are  they  all  ab 
sorbed  in  the  great  public  ?  Much  is  due  to  that,  I  know, 
but,  being  part  of  the  public,  I  lay  claim  to  a  larger  share 
than  I  have  had.  You  used  to  be  more  communicative  on 
Sundays.  I  always  loved  a  Sabbath  day's  letter,  for  then 
you  had  a  greater  command  of  your  time ;  but  hush  to  all 
complaints. 

I  am  much  surprised  that  you  have  not  been  more  accu 
rately  informed  of  what  passes  in  the  camps.  As  to  intel 
ligence  from  Boston,  it  is  but  very  seldom  we  are  able  to 
collect  anything  that  may  be  relied  on;  and  to  report  the 
vague  flying  rumors  would  be  endless.  I  heard  yesterday, 
by  one  Mr.  Roulstone,  a  goldsmith,  who  got  out  in  a  fish 
ing  schooner,  that  their  distress  increased  upon  them  fast. 
Their  beef  is  all  spent ;  their  malt  and  cider  all  gone.  All 
the  fresh  provisions  they  can  procure  they  are  obliged  to 
give  to  the  sick  and  wounded.  Thirteen  of  our  men  who 


80  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

were  in  jail,  and  were  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Charles- 
town,  were  dead.  No  man  dared  now  to  be  seen  talking 
to  his  friend  in  the  street.  They  were  obliged  to  be  within, 
every  evening,  at  ten  o'clock,  according  to  martial  law ; 
nor  could  any  inhabitant  walk  any  street  in  town  after  that 
time,  without  a  pass  from  Gage.  He  has  ordered  all  the 
molasses  to  be  distilled  into  rum  for  the  soldiers  ;  taken 
away  all  licenses,  and  given  out  others,  obliging  to  a  for- 
feiture  of  ten  pounds,  if  any  rum  is  sold  without  written 
orders  from  the  General.  He  gives  much  the  same  account 
of  the  killed  and  wounded  we  have  from  others.  The 
spirit,  he  says,  which  prevails  among  the  soldiers,  is  a 
spirit  of  malice  and  revenge  ;  there  is  no  true  courage 
and  bravery  to  be  observed  among  them.  Their  duty  is 
hard ;  always  mounting  guard  with  their  packs  at  their 
backs,  ready  for  an  alarm,  which  they  live  in  continual 
hazard  of.  Dr.  Eliot  is  not  on  board  a  man-of-war,  as  has 
been  reported,  but  perhaps  was  left  in  town,  as  the  comfort 
and  support  of  those  who  cannot  escape.  He  was  con 
stantly  with  our  prisoners.  Messrs.  Lovell  and  Leach, 
with  others,  are  certainly  in  jail.  A  poor  milch  cow  was 
last  week  killed  in  town,  and  sold  for  a  shilling  sterling 
per  pound.  The  transports  arrived  last  week  from  York, 
but  every  additional  man  adds  to  their  distress.  There 
has  been  a  little  expedition  this  week  to  Long  Island. 
There  have  been,  before,  several  attempts  to  go  on,  but 
three  men-of-war  lay  near,  and  cutters  all  round  the  island, 
so  that  they  could  not  succeed.  A  number  of  whaleboats 
lay  at  Germantown.  Three  hundred  volunteers,  com 
manded  by  one  Captain  Tupper,  came  on  Monday  even 
ing  and  took  the  boats,  went  on,  and  brought  off  seventy 
odd  sheep,  fifteen  head  of  cattle,  and  sixteen  prisoners, 
thirteen  of  whom  were  sent  by  (Simple  Sapling)  1  to  mow 
the  hay,  which  they  had  very  badly  executed.  They  were 
all  asleep  in  the  house  and  barn.  When  they  were  taken, 

1  Simple  Sapling  is  the  name  given  to  one  of  the  dramatis  personse  in  Mrs. 
Warren's  satirical  piece  culled  The  Group.  In  one  copy,  which  has  a  written 
key  to  the  characters.  Nathaniel  R.  Thomas  is  named,  in  another  Abijah 
White. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  81 

there  were  three  women  with  them.  Our  heroes  came  off 
in  triumph,  not  being  observed  by  their  enemies.  This 
spirited  up  others,  who  could  not  endure  the  thought  that 
the  house  and  barn  should  afford  them  any  shelter;  they 
did  not  destroy  them  the  night  before  for  fear  of  being  dis 
covered.  Captain  Wild,  of  this  town,  with  about  twenty- 
five  of  his  company,  Captain  Gold,  of  Weymouth,  with  as 
many  of  his,  and  some  other  volunteers,  to  the  amount  of  a 
hundred,  obtained  leave  to  go  on  and  destroy  the  hay, 
together  with  the  house  and  barn ;  and  in  open  day,  in 
full  view  of  the  men-of-war,  they  set  off  from  the  Moon,  so 
called,  covered  by  a  number  of  men  who  were  placed  there, 
went  on  and  set  fire  to  the  buildings  and  hay.  A  num 
ber  of  armed  cutters  immediately  surrounded  the  island 
and  fired  upon  our  men.  They  came  off  with  a  hot  and 
continued  fire  upon  them,  the  bullets  flying  in  every  di 
rection,  and  the  men-of-war's  boats  plying  them  with  small 
arms.  Many  in  this  town,  who  were  spectators,  expected 
every  moment  our  men  would  all  be  sacrificed,  for  some 
times  they  were  so  near  as  to  be  called  and  damned  by 
their  enemies,  and  ordered  to  surrender  ;  yet  they  all  re 
turned  in  safety,  not  one  man  even  wounded.  Upon  the 
Moon  we  lost  one  man,  from  the  cannon  on  board  the  man- 
of-war.1  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  a  man-of-war 
came  and  anchored  near  Great  Hill,  and  two  cutters  came 
to  Pig  Rocks.  It  occasioned  an  alarm  in  this  town,  and 
we  were  up  all  night.  They  remain  there  yet,  but  have 
not  ventured  to  land  any  men. 

This  town  have  chosen  their  representative.  Colonel 
Palmer  is  the  man.  There  was  a  considerable  muster 
upon  Thayer's  side,  and  Vinton's  company  marched  up  in 
order  to  assist,  but  got  sadly  disappointed.  Newcomb  in 
sisted  upon  it  that  no  man  should  vote  who  was  in  the 
army.  He  had  no  notion  of  being  under  the  military 
power  ;  said  we  might  be  so  situated  as  to  have  the  greater 
part  of  the  people  engaged  in  the  military,  and  then  all 
power  would  be  wrested  out  of  the  hands  of  the  civil  mag- 

1  A  brief  account  of  this  enterprise  by  an  eye-witness  is  given  in  Force's 
American  Archives,  Fourth  Series,  Vol.  II.,  p.  165. 
6 


82  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

istrate.  He  insisted  upon  its  being  put  to  vote,  and  car 
ried  his  point  immediately.  It  brought  Thayer  to  his 
speech,  who  said  all  he  could  against  it. 

As  to  the  situation  of  the  camps,  our  men  are  in  gen 
eral  healthy,  much  more  so  at  Roxbury  than  at  Cambridge, 
and  the  camp  is  in  vastly  better  order.  General  Thomas 
has  the  character  of  an  excellent  officer.  His  merit  has 
certainly  been  overlooked,  as  modest  merit  generally  is. 
I  hear  General  Washington  is  much  pleased  with  his  con 
duct. 

Every  article  here  in  the  West  India  way  is  very  scarce 
and  dear.  In  six  weeks  we  shall  not  be  able  to  purchase 
any  article  of  the  kind.  I  wish  you  would  let  Bass  get  me 
one  pound  of  pepper  and  two  yards  of  black  calamanco 
for  shoes.  I  cannot  wear  leather,  if  I  go  barefoot.  Bass 
may  make  a  fine  profit  if  he  lays  in  a  stock  for  himself. 
You  can  hardly  imagine  how  much  we  want  many  common 
small  articles,  which  are  not  manufactured  amongst  our 
selves  ;  but  we  will  have  them  in  time  ;  not  one  pin  to  be 
purchased  for  love  or  money.  I  wish  you  could  convey  me 
a  thousand  by  any  friend  travelling  this  way.  It  is  very 
provoking  to  have  such  a  plenty  so  near  us,  but,  Tantalus- 
like,  not  to  be  able  to  touch.  I  should  have  been  glad  to 
have  laid  in  a  small  stock  of  the  West  India  articles,  but  I 
cannot  get  one  copper  ;  no  person  thinks  of  paying  any 
thing,  and  I  do  not  choose  to  run  in  debt.  I  endeavor 
to  live  in  the  most  frugal  manner  possible,  but  I  am 
many  times  distressed. 

We  have,  since  I  wrote  you,  had  many  fine  showers, 
and,  although  the  crops  of  grass  have  been  cut  short,  we 
have  a  fine  prospect  of  Indian  corn  and  English  grain. 
Be  not  afraid,  ye  beasts  of  the  field,  for  the  pastures  of  the 
wilderness  do  spring,  the  tree  beareth  her  fruit,  the  vine 
and  the  olive  yield  their  increase.  We  have  not  yet  been 
much  distressed  for  grain.  Everything  at  present  looks 
blooming.  Oh  that  peace  would  once  more  extend  her  olive 
branch  ! 

"  This  day  be  bread  and  peace  my  lot ; 
All  else  beneath  the  sun, 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  83 

Thou  knowest  if  best  bestowed  or  not, 
And  let  thy  will  be  done." 

"  But  is  the  Almighty  ever  bound  to  please, 
Build  by  my  wish,  or  studious  of  my  ease? 
Shall  I  determine  where  his  frowns  shall  fall, 
And  fence  my  grotto  from  the  lot  of  all? 
Prostrate,  his  sovereign  wisdom  I  adore, 
Intreat  his  mercy,  but  I  dare  no  more." 

I  have  now  written  you  all  I  can  collect  from  every 
quarter.  'Tis  fit  for  no  eyes  but  yours,  because  you  can 
make  all  necessary  allowances.  I  cannot  copy. 

There  are  yet  in  town  three  of  the  selectmen  and  some 
thousands  of  inhabitants,  't  is  said.  I  hope  to  hear  from 
you  soon.  Do  let  me  know  if  there  is  any  prospect  of  see 
ing  you.  Next  Wednesday  is  thirteen  weeks  since  you 
went  away.  I  must  bid  you  adieu. 

You  have  many  friends,  though  they  have  not  noticed 
you  by  writing.  I  am  sorry  they  have  been  so  negligent. 
I  hope  no  share  of  that  blame  lies  upon 

Your  most  affectionate  PORTIA. 

52.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^Philadelphia,  23  July,  1775. 

You  have  more  than  once  in  your  letters  mentioned  Dr. 
Franklin,  and  in  one  intimated  a  desire  that  I  should  write 
you  something  concerning  him. 

Dr.  Franklin  has  been  very  constant  in  his  attendance 
on  Congress  from  the  beginning.  His  conduct  has  been 
composed  and  grave,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  many  gentle 
men,  very  reserved.  He  has  not  assumed  anything,  nor 
affected  to  take  the  lead  ;  but  has  seemed  to  choose  that  the 
Congress  should  pursue  their  own  principles  and  senti 
ments,  and  adopt  their  own  plans.  Yet  he  has  not  been 
backward  ;  has  been  very  useful  on  many  occasions,  and 
discovered  a. disposition  entirely  American.  He  does  not 
nesitate  at  our  boldest  measures,  but  rather  seems  to  think 
us  too  irresolute  and  backward.  He  thinks  us  at  present 
in  an  odd  state,  neither  in  peace  nor  war,  neither  dependent 
nor  independent ;  but  he  thinks  that  we  shall  soon  assume 
a  character  more  decisive.  He  thinks  that  we  have  the 


84  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

power  of  preserving  ourselves ;  and  that  even  if  we  should 
be  driven  to  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  assuming  a  total 
independency,  and  set  up  a  separate  state,  we  can  maintain 
it.  The  people  of  England  have  thought  that  the  opposi 
tion  in  America  was  wholly  owing  to  Dr.  Franklin  ;  and  I 
suppose  their  scribblers  will  attribute  the  temper  and  pro 
ceedings  of  Congress  to  him  ;  but  there  cannot  be  a  greater 
mistake.  He  has  had  but  little  share,  further  than  to  co 
operate  and  to  assist.  He  is,  however,  a  great  and  good 
man.  I  wish  his  colleagues  from  this  city  were  all  like 
him  ;  particularly  one,1  whose  abilities  and  virtues,  formerly 
trumpeted  so  much  in  America,  have  been  found  wanting. 
There  is  a  young  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania,  whose 
name  is  Wilson,  whose  fortitude,  rectitude,  and  abilities  too, 
greatly  outshine  his  master's.  Mr.  Biddle,  the  Speaker,  has 
been  taken  off  by  sickness,  Mr.  Mifflin  is  gone  to  the  camp, 
Mr.  Morton  is  ill  too,  so  that  this  province  has  suffered  by 
the  timidity  of  two  overgrown  fortunes.  The  dread  of 
confiscation  or  caprice,  I  know  not  what,  has  influenced 
them  too  much ;  yet  they  were  for  taking  arms,  and  pre 
tended  to  be  very  valiant. 

This  letter  must  be  secret,  my  dear  ;  at  least  communi 
cated  with  great  discretion. 

Yours,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

53.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Same  date. 

HAVE  only  time  to  send  by  this  opportunity  a  token  of 
remembrance. 

The  fast  was  observed  here  with  a  decorum  and  solem 
nity  never  before  seen  on  a  Sabbath.  The  clergy  of  all 
denominations  here  preached  upon  politic's  and  war  in  a 
manner  that  I  never  heard  in  New  England.  They  are  a 
flame  of  fire.  It  is  astonishing  to  me  that  the  people  are 
so  cool  here.  Such  sermons  in  our  country  would  have  a 
much  greater  effect. 

I  hope  to  see  you  erelong.  You  have  stirred  up  my 
friends  to  write  to  me.  Austin,  Tudor,  Rice,  have  wrote. 

1  John  Dickinson. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  85 

Dr.  Tufts  wrote  me  aii  excellent  letter,  and  very  particular 
intelligence. 

My  love  to  all  the  children. 

• 

54.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

24  July,  1775. 

IT  is  now  almost  three  months  since  I  left  you,  in  every 
part  of  which,  my  anxiety  about  you  and  the  children,  as 
well  as  our  country,  has  been  extreme.  The  business  I 
have  had  upon  my  mind  has  been  as  great  and  important 
as  can  be  entrusted  to  man,  and  the  difficulty  and  intricacy 
of  it  prodigious.  When  fifty  or  sixty  men  have  a  Consti 
tution  to  form  for  a  great  empire,  at  the  same  time  that 
they  have  a  country  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  extent  to 
fortify,  millions  to  arm  and  train,  a  naval  power  to  begin, 
an  extensive  commerce  to  regulate,  numerous  tribes  of  In 
dians  to  negotiate  with,  a  standing  army  of  twenty-seven 
thousand  men  to  raise,  pay,  victual,  and  officer,  I  really 
shall  pity  those  fifty  or  sixty  men.  I  must  see  you  ere 
long.  Rice  has  written  me  a  very  good  letter.  So  has 
Thaxter,  for  which  I  thank  them  both.  Love  to  the  chil 
dren.  J.  A. 

P.  S.  —  I  wish  I  had  given  you  a  complete  history,  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  journey,  of  the  behavior  of 
my  compatriots.  No  mortal  tale  can  equal  it.  I  will  tell 
you  in  future,  but  you  shall  keep  it  secret.  The  fidgets, 
the  whims,  the  caprice,  the  vanity,  the  superstition,  the 

inability  of  some  of  us  is  enough  to  1 

Yours. 

55.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  25  July,  1775. 

DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  received  yours  of  July  7th,  for 
which  I  heartily  thank  you.  It  was  the  longest  and  best 

1  This  letter,  with  one  of  the  same  date  to  James  Warren,  was  intercepted 
and  published  by  the   British.     Of  its  effect  on   the  position  of  the  writer, 
some  account  has  been  given  elsewhere.      Works  of  John  Adams.  Vol.  I 
pp.  180, 181. 


86  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

letter  I  have  had ;  the  most  leisurely,  and  therefore  the 
most  sentimental.  Previous  to  your  last,  I  had  written 
you,  and  made  some  complaints  of  you,  but  I  will  take  them 
all  back  again.  OnJy  continue  your  obliging  favors,  when 
ever  your  time  will  allow  you  to  devote  one  moment  to 
your  absent  Portia. 

This  is  the  25th  of  July.  Gage  has  not  made  any  at 
tempts  to  march  out  since  the  battle  at  Charlestown.  Our 
army  is  restless,  and  wish  to  be  doing  something  to  rid 
themselves  and  the  land  of  the  vermin  and  locusts  which 
infest  it.  Since  I  wrote  you  last,  the  companies  stationed 
upon  the  coast,  both  in  this  town,  Weymouth,  and  Hinghain, 
were  ordered  to  Nantasket,  to  reap  and  ]3ring  off  the  grain, 
which  they  accomplished,  all  except  i  a  field  or  two  which 
was  not  ripe  ;  and  having  whaleboats,  they  undertook  to  go 
to  the  Lighthouse  and  set  fire  to  it,  which  they  effected  in 
open  day,  and  in  fair  sight  of  several  men-of-war.  Upon 
their  return  came  down  upon  them  eight  barges,  one  cut 
ter,  and  one  schooner,  all  in  battle-array,  and  poured  whole 
broadsides  upon  them ;  but  our  men  all  reached  the  shore, 
and  not  one  life  lost;  two  only  slightly  wounded  in  their 
legs.  They  marched  up  a  hill,  and  drew  into  order  in 
hopes  the  marines  would  land  ;  but  they  chose  rather  to 
return  without  a  land  engagement,  though  't  is  thought  they 
will  burn  the  town  down  as  soon  as  our  forces  leave  it. 
I  had  this  account  from  Captain  Vinton,  who  with  his  com 
pany  were  there.  These  little  skirmishes  seem  trifling,  but 
they  serve  to  inure  our  men,  and  harden  them  to  danger. 
I  hear  the  rebels  are  very  wroth  at  the  destruction  of  the 
Lighthouse. 

There  has  been  an  offer  from  Gage  to  send  the  poor  of 
Boston  to  Salem,  by  water,  but  not  complied  with  on  our 
part ;  they  returned  for  answer,  they  would  receive  them 
upon  the  lines.  Dr.  Tufts  saw  a  letter  from  Deacon  New- 
all,  in  which  he  mentions  the  death  of  John  Cotton ;  he 
says  it  is  very  sickly  in  town.  Every  fishing  vessel  is  now 
obliged  to  enter  and  clear  out,  as  though  she  was  going  a 
foreign  voyage.  No  inhabitant  is  suffered  to  partake,  but 
obliged  to  wait  till  the  army  is  supplied,  and  then,  if  one 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  87 

[fish]  remains,  they  are  allowed  to  purchase  it.  An  order 
has  been  given  out  in  town  that  no  person  shall  be  seen  to 
wipe  his  face  with  a  white  handkerchief.  The  reason  I 
hear  is,  that  it  is  a  signal  of  mutiny.  General  Burgoyne 
lives  in  Mr.  Sam  Quincy's  house.  A  lady,  who  lived 
opposite,  says  she  saw  raw  meat  cut  and  hacked  upon  her 
mahogany  tables,  and  her  superb  damask  curtain  and 
cushions  exposed  to  the  rain,  as  if  they  were  of  no  value. 
How  much  better  do  the  Tories  fare  than  the  Whigs?  I 
suppose  this  worthy,  good  man  was  put  in  with  all  confi 
dence  that  nothing  should  be  hurt. 

I  was  very  much  pleased  with  General  Lee's  letter,1  and 
really  entertained  a  more  favorable  opinion  of  Burgoyne 
than  I  before  had  imbibed  from  his  speech  ;  but  a  late  let 
ter  from  London,  written  to  Mr.  Josiah  Quincy,  and,  in  ca&e 
of  his  absence,  to  be  opened  either  by  you  or  Mr.  Samuel 
Adams,  or  either  of  the  Warrens,  has  left  me  no  room  to 
think  that  he  is  possessed  either  of  generosity,  virtue,  or 
humanity.  His  character  runs  thus  :  — 

"As  to  Burgoyne,  I  am  not  master  of  language  sufficient 
to  give  you  a  true  idea  of  the  horrible  wickedness  of  the 
man.  His  designs  are  dark  ;  his  dissimulation  of  the  deep 
est  dye  ;  for,  not  content  with  deceiving  mankind,  he  prac 
tices  deceit  on  God  himself,  by  assuming  the  appearance 
(like  Hutchinson)  of  great  attention  to  religious  worship, 
when  every  action  of  his  life  is  totally  abhorrent  to  all 
ideas  of  true  religion,  virtue,  or  common  honesty.  An 
abandoned,  infamous  gambler,  of  broken  fortune,  and  the 
worst  and  most  detestable  of  the  Bedford  gang,  who  are 
wholly  bent  on  blood,  tyranny,  and  spoil,  and  therefore  the 
darling  favorite  of  our  unrivaled  ruler,  Lord  Bute."  2 

The  character  of  Howe  is  not  drawn  much  more  favora 
bly,  but  Clinton's  general  character  very  good,  and  't  is 
said  he  does  not  relish  the  service  he  is  sent  upon.  I  am 
ready  to  believe  this  of  Clinton,  as  I  have  never  heard  of 

1  See  Memoirs  of  the  Life  of  the  late  Charles  Lee,  Esq.,  published  in  Lon 
don  in  1793,  p.  323. 

2  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  point  out  the  extravagance  of  this  invective.    Jfr 
sounds  very  like  Arthur  ]jee. 


88  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

any  speeches  of  his  since  his  arrival,  nor  scarcely  any  men 
tion  of  him.  That  such  characters  as  Burgoyne  and  Howe 
should  engage  in  such  a  cause  is  not  to  be  wondered  at ; 
but  it  is  really  to  be  lamented,  when  a  man  possessed  of  one 
spark  of  virtue  should  be  drawn  aside^  and  disgrace  him 
self  and  posterity  by  adding  one  more  to  the  already 
infamous  list.  I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  Derby's  ar 
rival,1  and  the  intelligence  he  brings.  I  could  not  refrain 
wishing  them  everlasting  fetters ;  "  the  news  received  with 
some  symptoms  of  pleasure,"  and  "  our  friends  increased," 
and  a  few  more  such  sugar  plums.  Were  they  suffering 
as  we  are,  could  Americans  sit  thus  coldly  whilst  Britons 
were  bleeding  ?  How  is  it  possible  that  the  love  of  gain 
and  the  lust  of  domination  should  render  the  human  mind 
so  callous  to  every  principle  of  honor,  generosity,  and  be 
nevolence  ? 

May  that  day  be  far  distant  from  America,  when  "  trade's 
unfeeling  train  "  shall  "  usurp  this  land,  and  dispossess  the 
swain/' 

"  111  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates,  and  men  decay  ; 
Princes  and  lords  may  flourish,  or  may  fade  ; 
A  breath  can  make  them,  as  a  breath  has  made  ; 
But  a  bold  peasantry,  their  country's  pride, 
When  once  destroyed,  can  never  be  supplied." 

Your  address  meets  with  general  approbation  here  ;  your 
petitioning  the  King  again  pleases  (forgive  me  if  I  say  the 
timid  and  the  weak)  those  persons  who  were  esteemed  the 
lukewarm,  and  who  think  no  works  of  supererogation  can 
be  performed  to  Great  Britain ;  whilst  others  say  you  heap 
coals  of  fire  upon  the  heads  of  your  enemies.  You  know 
you  are  considered  here  as  a  most  perfect  body ;  if  one 
member  is  by  any  means  rendered  incapable  of  acting,  't  is 
supposed  the  deficiency  will  be  made  up.  The  query  is, 
why  your  President  left  the  Congress  so  long  as  to  make 
it  necessary  to  choose  another  member,2  —  whether  he  de 
clined  returning  to  you  again. 

1  Captain  John  Derby  had  just  returned  from  his  trip  to  Great  Britain  with 
•the  first  news  of  the  affair  at  Concord. 

a  This   alludes    to    Peyton  Randolph,    who  was  suddenly   called  home  to 


1775.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  89 

i  suppose  you  have  a  list  of  our  Council.  It  was  gener 
ally  thought  that  Gage  would  make  an  attempt  to  come 
out  either  Election  day  or  upon  the  Fast ;  but  I  could  not 
believe  we  should  be  disturbed  upon  that  day.  Even  "  the 
devils  believe  and  tremble,"  and  I  really  believe  they  are 
more  afraid  of  the  Americans'  prayers  than  of  their  swords. 
I  could  not  bear  to  hear  our  inanimate  old  bachelor.1 
Mrs.  Cranch  and  I  took  our  chaise  and  went  to  hear  Mr. 
Haven,  of  Dedham,  and  we  had  no  occasion  to  repent  eleven 
miles'  ride  ;  especially  as  I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  the 
day  with  my  namesake  and  sister  delegate.2  Why  should 
we  not  assume  your  titles  when  we  give  you  up  our  names  ? 
I  found  her  comfortably  situated  in  a  little  country  cottage, 
with  patience,  perseverance,  and  fortitude  for  her  compan 
ions,  and  in  better  health  than  she  has  enjoyed  for  many 
mouths  past. 

I  fear  General  Thomas  being  overlooked,  and  Heath 
placed  over  him,  will  create  much  uneasiness.  I  know  not 
who  was  to  blame,  but  it  is  likely  to  make  a  great  and 
fatal  gap  in  the  army.  If  Thomas  resigns,  all  his  officers 
resign  ;  and  Mr.  Thomas  cannot  with  honor  hold  under 
Heath.  The  camp  will  evince  to  every  eye  how  good  an 
officer  he  has  been  ;  but  this  is  out  of  my  sphere.  I  only 
say  what  others  say,  and  what  the  general  disposition  of 
the  people  is. 

I  believe  you  will  not  complain  that  I  do  not  write  often 
enough,  and  at  length  enough.  When  you  are  tired,  tell 
me.  Pray  make  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Barrell  for  his 
great  civility  to  Portia.  I  really  feel  very  anxious  at  being 
exposed  to  any  eyes  but  yours,  whose  partiality  I  have  so 
often  experienced  to  cover  a  multitude  of  faults,  that  I  rely 
upon  it  with  the  utmost  security.  You  will  not  fail  letting 
me  hear  from  you  by  every  opportunity. 

I  need  not  say  how  much  I  want  to  see  you,  but  no  one 

Virginia,  on  the  24th  of  May,  leaving  his  place  vacant.  John  Hancock  was 
chosen  to  fill  ifc.  Mr.  Randolph  did  return  soon  after,  and  died  at  Philadelphia 
in  October. 

1  Anthony   AVibird,  the  pastor  of  the  parish  of  which  Mr.  Adams  was  a 
member. 

2  Mrs.  Samuel  Adams. 


90  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

will  credit  my  story  of  your  returning  in  a  month.     I  hope 
to  have  the  best  of  proofs  to  convince  them. 

It  cannot  need  any  to  convince  you  how  sincerely 

I  am  your  affectionate  PORTIA. 

56.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

v/Phikdelphia,  30  July,  1775. 

THIS  letter  is  intended  to  go  by  my  friend  Mr.  William 
Barrell,  whom  I  believe  you  have  seen  in  Boston.  If  he 
calls  at  our  house  you  will  please  to  receive  him  complai- 
sautly  and  thank  him  for  your  present  of  pins.  I  have 
been  treated  by  him  with  great  civility  both  at  this  and 
the  former  Congress. 

This  day  I  have  heard  my  parish  priest,  Mr.  Duffield, 
from  2  Chronicles  xv.  1,  2.  This  gentleman  never  fails  to 
adapt  his  discourse  to  the  times.  He  pressed  upon  his 
audience  the  necessity  of  piety  and  virtue,  in  the  present 
times  of  adversity,  and  held  up  to  their  view  the  army 
before  Boston  as  an  example.  He  understood,  he  said, 
that  the  voice  of  the  swearer  was  scarcely  heard ;  that  the 
Sabbath  was  well  observed,  and  all  immoralities  discoun 
tenanced.  No  doubt  there  were  vicious  individuals,  but 
the  general  character  was  good.  I  hope  this  good  man's 
information  is  true,  and  that  this  will  become  more  and 
more  the  true  character  of  that  camp.  You  may  well  sup 
pose  that  this  language  was  exceedingly  pleasing  to  me. 

We  have  nothing  new  but  the  arrival  of  some  powder. 
Three  little  vessels  have  certainly  arrived,  making  about 
ten  tons  in  the  whole,  and  four  or  five  tons  have  arrived 
from  South  Carolina.  A  supply  I  think  now  we  shall 
certainly  obtain.  Congress  have  taken  measures  for  this 
end  which  I  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  explaining  to 
you  in  person  within  a  few  days,  as  Congress  has  deter 
mined  to  adjourn  to  some  time  in  September.  I  could  not 
vote  for  this  myself,  because  I  thought  it  might  be  neces 
sary  to  keep  together,  but  I  could  not  blame  those  who 
did ;  for  really  we  have  been  all  so  assiduous  in  business 
in  this  exhausting,  debilitating  climate,  that  our  lives  are 
more  exposed  than  they  would  be  in  camp. 

Love  to  the  children. 


1775.1  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  91 

57.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  31  July,  1775. 

I  DO  not  feel  easy  more  than  two  days  together  without 
writing  to  you.  If  you  abound,  you  must  lay  some  of  the 
fault  upon  yourself,  who  have  made  such  sad  complaints 
for  letters,  but  I  really  believe  I  have  written  more  than 
all  my  sister  delegate's.  There  is  nothing  new  transpired 
since  I  wrote  you  last,  but  the  sailing  of  some  transports, 
and  five  deserters  having  come  into  our  camp.  One  of 
them  is  gone,  I  hear,  to  Philadelphia.  I  think  I  should 
be  cautious  of  him.  No  one  can  tell  the  secret  designs  of 
such  fellows,  whom  no  oath  binds.  He  may  be  sent  with 
assassinating  designs.  I  can  credit  any  villainy  that  a 
Caesar  Borgia  would  have  been  guilty  of,  or  Satan  himself 
would  rejoice  in.  Those  who  do  not  scruple  to  bring  pov 
erty,  misery,  slavery,  and  death  upon  thousands  will  not 
hesitate  at  the  most  diabolical  crimes ;  and  this  is  Britain ! 
Blush,  0  Americans,  that  ever  you  derived  your  origin 
from  such  a  race. 

We  learn  from  one  of  these  deserters  that  our  ever- 
valued  friend  Warren,  dear  to  us  even  in  death,  was  not 
treated  with  any  more  respect  than  a  common  soldier ;  but 
the  savage  wretches,  called  officers,  consulted  together,  and 
agreed  to  sever  his  head  from  his  body  and  carry  it  in 
triumph  to  Gage,  who  no  doubt  would  have  "  grinned  hor 
ribly  a  ghastly  smile,"  instead  of  imitating  Ccesar,  who,  far 
from  being  gratified  with  so  horrid  a  spectacle  as  the  head 
even  of  his  enemy,  turned  away  from  Pompey's  with  dis 
gust,  and  gave  vent  to  his  pity  in  a  flood  of  tears.  How  • 
much  does  Pagan  tenderness  put  Christian  benevolence  to  / 
shame  !  What  humanity  could  not  obtain,  the  rites  and 
ceremonies  of  a  Mason  demanded.  An  officer,  who  it 
seems  was  one  of  the  brotherhood,  requested  that  as  a 
Mason  he  might  have  the  body  unmaugled,  and  find  a 
decent  interment  for  it.  He  obtained  his  request,  but  upon 
returning  to  secure  it,  he  found  it  already  thrown  into  the 
earth,  only  with  the  ceremony  of  being  first  placed  there 
with  many  bodies  over  it. 


92  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

"Nor  writ  his  name,  whose  tomb  should  pierce  the  skies." 

"  Glows  my  resentment  into  guilt?   What  guilt 
Can  equal  violations  of  the  dead  ? 
The  dead  how  sacred !     Sacred  is  the  dust 
Of  this  heaven-labored  form,  erect,  divine ! 
This  heaven-assumed,  majestic  robe  of  earth." 

2  August. 

Thus  far  I  wrote,  and  broke  off;  hearing  there  was  a 
probability  of  your  return  I  thought  not  to  send  it ;  but  the 
reception  of  yours  this  morning,  of  July  23d,  makes  me 
think  the  day  further  off  than  I  hoped.  I  therefore  will 
add  a  few  lines,  though  very  unfit.  I  went  out  yesterday 
to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  poor  fellow  who,  the  night  be 
fore,  fell  in  battle,  as  they  were  returning  from  the  Light 
house.  I  caught  some  cold.  Sabbath  evening  there  was 
a  warm  fire  from  Prospect  Hill  and  Bunker's  Hill,  begun 
first  by  the  riflemen  taking  off  their  guard.  Two  men 
upon  our  side  were  killed  ;  five  of  their  guards  were  killed, 
two  taken.  I  believe  my  account  will  be  very  confused, 
but  I  will  relate  it  as  well  as  I  am  able.1  Sabbath  evening 
a  number  of  men,  in  whaleboats,  went  off  from  Squanturn 
and  Dorchester  to  the  Lighthouse,  where  the  General,  Gage, 
had  again  fixed  up  a  lamp,  and  sent  twelve  carpenters  to 
repair  it.  Our  people  went  on  amidst  a  hot  fire  from  thirty 
marines,  who  were  placed  there  as  a  guard  to  the  Tory 
carpenters,  burnt  the  dwelling-house,  took  the  Tories  and 
twenty-eight  marines,  killed  the  lieutenant  and  one  man, 
brought  off  all  the  oil  and  stores  which  were  sent,  without 
the  loss  of  a  man,  until  they  were  upon  their  return,  when 
they  were  so  closely  pursued  that  they  were  obliged  to  run 
one  whaleboat  ashore,  and  leave  her  to  them ;  the  rest 
arrived  safe,  except  the  unhappy  youth  whose  funeral  I 
yesterday  attended,  who  received  a  ball  through  the  temple 
as  he  was  rowing  the  boat.  He  belonged  to  Rhode  Island. 
His  name  was  Griffin.  He,  with  four  wounded  marines, 
was  brought  by  Captain  Turner  to  Germantown,  and 
buried  from  there  with  the  honors  of  war.  Mr.  Wibird, 
upon  the  occasion,  made  the  best  oration  (he  never  prays, 

i  These  events  are  briefly  noticed  in  Almorfs  Remembrancer  for  1775,  pp. 
269,  270. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  93 

you  know)  I  ever  heard  from  him.  The  poor  wounded 
fellows  (who  were  all  wounded  in  their  arms)  desired  they 
might  attend.  They  did,  and  he  very  pathetically  ad 
dressed  them,  with  which  they  appeared  affected.  I  spoke 
with  them,  —  I  told  them  it  was  very  unhappy  that  they 
should  be  obliged  to  fight  their  best  friends.  They  said 
they  were  sorry  ;  they  hoped  in  God  an  end  would  be 
speedily  put  to  the  unhappy  contest ;  when  they  came,  they 
came  in  the  way  of  their  duty,  to  relieve  Admiral  Mon 
tague,  with  no  thought  of  fighting,  but  their  situation  was 
such  as  obliged  them  to  obey  orders;  but  they  wished, 
with  all  their  souls,  that  they  that  sent  them  here  had  been 
in  the  heat  of  the  battle ;  expressed  gratitude  at  the  kind 
ness  they  received  ;  and  said,  in  that  they  had  been  de 
ceived,  for  they  were  told,  if  they  were  taken  alive  they 
would  be  sacrificed  by  us.  Dr.  Tufts  dressed  their  wounds. 

I  had  a  design  to  write  something  about  a  talked-of  ap 
pointment  of  a  friend  of  mine  to  a  judicial  department,1  but 
hope  soon  to  see  that  friend  before  his  acceptance  may  be 
necessary.  I  inclose  a  compliment,  copied  by  a  gentleman 
from  a  piece  in  the  Worcester  paper,  signed  "  Lycurgus." 

I  can  add  no  more,  as  the  good  Colonel  Palmer  waits. 
Only  my  compliments  to  Mrs.  Mifnin,  and  tell  her  I  do 
not  know  whether  her  husband  is  safe  here.  Bellona  and 
Cupid  have  a  contest  about  him.  You  hear  nothing  from 
the  ladies  but  about  Major  Mifflin's  easy  address,  polite 
ness,  complaisance,  etc.  'T  is  well  he  has  so  agreeable  a 
lady  at  Philadelphia.  They  know  nothing  about  forts, 
intrenchments,  etc.,  when  they  return ;  or,  if  they  do,  they 
are  all  forgotten  and  swallowed  up  in  his  accomplishments. 

Adieu,  my  dearest  friend,  and  always  believe  me 

Unalterably  yours,  PORTIA. 

58.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  10  August,  1775. 

DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  'T  is  with  a  sad  heart  I  take  my 
pen  to  write  to  you,  because  I  must  be  the  bearer  of  what 
will  greatly  afflict  and  distress  you.     Yet  I  wish  you  to  be 
i  Mr.  Adams  had  been  appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  new  Superior  Court. 


94  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

prepared  for  the  event.  Your  brother  Elihu  lies  very  dan 
gerously  sick  with  a  dysentery.1  He  has  been  very  bad  for 
more  than  a  week.  His  life  is  despaired  of.  Ere  I  close 
this  letter,  I  fear  I  shall  write  you  that  he  is  no  more. 

We  are  all  in  great  distress.  Your  father  is  with  him 
in  great  anguish.  I  hear  this  morning  that  he  is  sensible 
of  his  danger,  and  calmly  resigned  to  the  will  of  Heaven, 
which  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  his  mourning  friends.  I 
cannot  write  more  at  present  than  to  assure  you  of  the 
health  of  your  own  family.  Mr.  Elisha  Niles  was  very 
bad  with  the  same  disorder. 

11  August. 

I  have  this  morning  occasion  to  sing  of  mercies  and  judg 
ments.  May  I  properly  notice  each.  A  mixture  of  joy 
and  grief  agitates  my  bosom.  The  return  of  thee,  my  dear 
partner,  after  a  four  months'  absence,  is  a  pleasure  I  can 
not  express  ;  but  the  joy  is  overclouded,  and  the  day  is 
darkened,  by  the  mixture  of  grief,  —  the  sympathy  I  feel 
for  the  loss  of  your  brother,  cut  off  in  the  pride  of  life  and 
the  bloom  of  manhood,  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness. 
Heaven  sanctify  this  affliction  to  us,  and  make  me  prop 
erly  thankful  that  it  is  not  my  sad  lot  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
a  husband  in  the  room  of  a  brother. 

May  thy  life  be  spared  and  thy  health  confirmed  for  the 
benefit  of  thy  country  and  the  happiness  of  thy  family,  is 
the  constant  supplication  of  thy  friend. 

59.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  8  September. 

SINCE  you  left  me  I  have  passed  through  great  distress 
both  of  body  and  mind,  and  whether  greater  is  to  be  my 
portion,  Heaven  only  knows. 

You  may  remember  Isaac  was  unwell  -when  you  went 
from  home.  His  disorder  increased,  till  a  violent  dysen 
tery  was  the  consequence  of  his  complaints.  There  was 
no  resting-place  in  the  house,  for  his  terrible  groans.  He 

1  Elihu,  the  youngest  of  three  brothers,  born  7  May,  1741.  He  had  taken  a 
commission  as  an  officer,  and  he  fell  a  victim  to  this  disease,  which  became  en 
demic,  and  carried  off  numbers  in  this  region  of  Massachusetts. 


1775.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  95 

continued  in  this  state  near  a  week,  when  his  disorder 
abated,  and  we  have  now  hopes  of  his  recovery.  Two 
days  after  he  was  sick,  I  was  seized  with  the  same  disorder 
in  a  violent  manner.  Had  I  known  you  were  at  Water- 
town,  I  should  have  sent  Bracket  for  you.  I  suffered 
greatly  between  my  inclination  to  have  you  return  and  my 
fear  of  sending  lest  you  should  be  a  partaker  of  the  com 
mon  calamity.  After  three  days  an  abatement  of  my  dis 
ease  relieved  me  from  anxiety.  The  next  person  in  the 
same  week  was  Susy ;  her  we  carried  home.  —  hope  she 
will  not  be  very  bad.  Our  little  Tommy  was  the  next,  and 
he  lies  very  ill  now.  There  is  no  abatement  at  present  of 
his  disorder.  I  hope  he  is  not  dangerous.  Yesterday 
Patty  was  seized,  and  took  a  puke.  Our  house  is  a  hos 
pital  in  every  part ;  and  what  with  my  own  weakness  and 
distress  of  mind  for  my  family,  I  have  been  unhappy 
enough. 

And  such  is  the  distress  of  the  neighborhood,  that  I  can 
scarcely  find  a  well  person  to  assist  in  looking  after  the 
sick.  Mrs.  Randall  has  one  child  that  is  not  expected  to 
live  out  the  night.  Mrs.  Belcher  has  another ;  Joseph 
Bracket,  another ;  Deacon  Adams  has  lost  one,  but  is  on 
the  recovery  himself,  and  so  are  the  rest  of  his  family.  Mr. 
"VVibird  lies  bad  ;  Major  Miller  is  dangerous,  and  Mr.  Gay 
is  not  expected  to  live. 

So  sickly  and  so  mortal  a  time  the  oldest  man  does  not 
remember.  I  am  anxious  for  you.  Pray  let  me  hear  from 
you  soon.  I  thought  you  would  have  left  me  a  letter  at 
Watertown,  as  you  stayed  so  long  there.  I  was  disappointed 
that  you  did  not.  As  to  politics,  I  know  nothing  about 
them.  The  distresses  of  my  own  family  are  so  great  that 
I  have  not  thought  of  them.  I  have  written  as  much  as  I 
am  able  to,  being  very  weak.  I  hope  to  add  a  more  pleas 
ing  account  ere  I  close. 

Sunday,  10  September. 

'Tis  now  two  days  since  I  wrote.  As  to  my  own 
health,  I  mend  but  very  slowly ;  have  been  fearful  of  a  re 
turn  of  my  disorder  to-day,  but  feel  rather  better  now ; 


96  FAMILIAR  LETTERS,  [September, 

hope  it  is  only  owing  to  my  having  been  fatigued  with 
looking  after  Tommy,  as  he  is  unwilling  any  one  but  mamma 
should  do  for  him  ;  and,  if  he  was,  I  could  not  find  any 
body  that  is  worth  having,  but  what  is  taken  up  already  for 
the  sick.  Tommy,  I  hope,  is  mending.  His  fever  has 
abated ;  but  were  you  to  look  in  upon  him,  you  would  not 
know  him.  From  a  hearty,  hale,  corn-fed  boy,  he  has 
become  pale,  lean,  and  wan.  Isaac  is  getting  better,  but 
very  slowly.  Patty  is  very  bad,  her  situation  very  dan 
gerous.  Mr.  R.  and  one  of  his  children  are  taken  with  the 
disorder.  I  shall  write  every  day  if  I  am  able. 

Pray  let  me  hear  from  you  often.  Heaven  preserve 
both  your  life  and  health,  and  all  my  suffering  will  be  but 
small.  By  the  first  safe  conveyance  be  kind  enough  to  send 
me  one  ounce  of  Turkey  rhubarb,  the  root,  and  to  procure 
me  one  quarter  of  a  pound  of  nutmegs,  for  which  here  I 
have  to  give  2s.  Sd.  lawful ;  one  ounce  of  cloves,  two  of 
cinnamon.  I  should  be  glad  of  one  ounce  of  Indian  root. 
So  much  sickness  has  occasioned  a  scarcity  of  medicine. 

Destroy  this.  Such  a  doleful  tale  it  contains  can  give 
no  pleasure  to  any  one.  Our  other  children  are  well,  and 
send  duty  to  papa.  Bracket  has  been  complaining,  but  has 
got  better.  The  small-pox  in  the  natural  way  was  not 
more  mortal  than  this  distemper  has  proved  in  this  and 
many  neighboring  towns.  Eighteen  have  been  buried  since 
you  left  us,  in  Mr.  Weld's  parish.  Four,  three,  and  two 
funerals  in  a  day,  for  many  days.  Hitherto  our  family  has 
been  greatly  favored.  Heaven  still  preserve  us.  'Tis  a 
melancholy  time  with  us.  I  hope  you  will  not  think  me 
in  the  dismals ;  but  public  and  private  judgments  ought  to 
be  noticed  by  every  one. 

I  am,  most  affectionately,  yours,  PORTIA. 

60.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  Sunday,  16  September,  1775. 

I  SET  myself  down  to  write  with  a  heart  depressed  with 
the  melancholy  scenes  around  me.  My  letter  will  be  only 
a  bill  of  mortality  ;  though  thanks  be  to  that  Being  who 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  97 

restraineth  the  pestilence,  that  it  has  not  yet  proved  mor 
tal  to  any  of  our  family,  though  we  live  in  daily  expecta 
tion  that  Patty  will  not  continue  many  hours.  I  had  no 
idea  of  the  distemper  producing  such  a  state  as  hers,  till 
now.  Two  of  the  children,  John  and  Charles,  I  have  sent 
out  of  the  house,  finding  it  difficult  to  keep  them  out  of  the 
chamber.  Nabby  continues  well.  Tommy  is  better,  but 
entirely  stripped  of  the  hardy,  robust  countenance,  as  well 
as  of  a.l  the  flesh  he  had,  save  what  remains  for  to  keep  his 
bones  together.  Jonathan  is  the  only  one  who  remains  in 
the  family  who  has  not  had  a  turn  of  the  disorder.  Mrs. 
Randall  has  lost  her  daughter.  Mrs.  Bracket,  hers.  Mr. 
Thomas  Thayer,  his  wife.  Two  persons  belonging  to  Bos 
ton  have  died  this  week  in  this  parish.  I  know  of  eight 
this  week  who  have  been  buried  in  this  town. 

In  Weymouth,  it  is  very  sickly,  but  not  mortal.  Dr. 
Tufts  tells  me  he  has  between  sixty  and  seventy  patients 
now  sick  with  this  disorder.  Mr.  Thaxter  has  been  obliged 
to  go  home,  as  it  was  not  possible  for  me  ta  accommodate 
him.  Mr.  Mason  came  this  week,  but  if  he  had  been  in 
clined,  I  could  not  have  taken  him  now.  But  -the  general 
sickness  in  the  towns  determined  him  to  return  home  for  the 
present.  The  dread  upon  the  minds  of  people  of  catching 
the  distemper  is  almost  as  great  as  if  it  was  the-  small-pox. 
I  have  been  disturbed  more  than  ever  I  was  in  my  life  to 
procure  watchers  and  to  get  assistance. 

I  hear  Mr.  Tudor  has  been  dangerously  sick,  but  is  now 
upon  the  recovery.  Mr.  Wibird  is  very  low  indeed,  scarcely 
able  to  walk  a  step.  We  have  been  four  Sundays  without 
any  meeting.  Thus  does  pestilence  travel  in  the  rear  of 
war,  to  remind  us  of  our  entire  dependence  upon  that  Be 
ing  who  not  only  directeth  the  arrow  by  day,  but  has  also 
at  his  command  that  which  flieth  in  darkness.  So  uncer 
tain  and  so  transitory  are  all  the  enjoyments  of  life,  that 
were  it  not  for  the  tender  connections  which  bind  us,  would 
it  riot  be  folly  to  wish  for  continuance  here  ?  I  think  I 
shall  never  be  wedded  to  the  world,  and  were  I  to  lose 
about  a  dozen  of  my  dearest  connections,  I  should  have  no 
further  relish  for  life. 


98  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  September, 

But  perhaps  I  deceive  myself  and  know  little  but  little, 
of  my  own  heart. 

"  To  bear  and  suffer  is  our  portion  here." 

And  unto  Him  who  mounts  the  whirlwind  arid  directs  the 
storm  I  will  cheerfully  leave  the  ordering  of  my  lot,  and 
whether  adverse  or  prosperous  days  should  be  my  future 
portion,  I  will  trust  in  his  right  hand  to  lead  me  safely 
through,  and,  after  a  short  rotation  of  events,  fix  me  in  a 
state  immutable  and  happy. 

You  will  think  me  melancholy.  'Tis  true,  I  am  much 
affected  by  the  distressed  scenes  around  me,  but  I  have 
some  anxieties  in  my  mind  which  I  do  not  think  it  pru 
dent  to  mention  at  present  to  any  one.  Perhaps  when  I 
hear  from  you,  I  may  in  my  next  letter  tell  you. 

In  the  mean  time  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  whether  the 
intercepted  letters  l  have  reached  Philadelphia,  and  what 
effect  they  have  there.  There  is  a  most  infamous  versifi 
cation  of  them,  I  hear,  sent  out.  I  have  not  been  able  to 
get  it. 

As  to  politics,  there  seems  to  be  a  dead  calm  upon  all 
sides.  Some  of  the  Tories  have  been  sending  out  their 
children.  Colonel  Chandler  has  sent  out  his,  and  Mr. 
Winslow  has  sent  out  his  daughter.  People  appear  to  be 
gratified  with  the  Remonstrance,  Address,  and  Petition, 
and  most  earnestly  long  for  further  intelligence. 

God  helps  them  that  help  themselves,  as  King  Richard 
says ;  and  if  we  can  obtain  the  Divine  aid  by  our  own 
virtue,  fortitude,  and  perseverance,  we  may  be  sure  of 
relief. 

To-morrow  will  be  three  weeks  since  you  left  home  ;  in 
all  which  time  I  have  not  heard  one  word  from  you.  Pa 
tience  is  a  lesson  I  have  not  to  learn,  so  I  can  wait  your 
own  time,  but  hope  it  will  not  be  long  ere  my  anxious 
heart  is  relieved. 

Adieu  !     I  need  not  say  how  sincerely  I  am 

Your  affectionate  PORTIA. 

i  See  Letter  No.  54,  p.  85,  note. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  99 

61.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  17  September,  1775. 

THIS  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  attempted  to  write 
since  I  left  you.  I  arrived  here  in  good  health,  after  an 
agreeable  journey,  last  Wednesday.  There  had  not  been 
members  enough  to  make  a  House,  several  colonies  being 
absent,  so  that  I  was  just  in  time.  The  next  day  an  ade 
quate  number  appeared,  and  Congress  has  sat  ever  since. 
Georgia  is  now  fully  represented,  and  united  to  the  other 
twelve.  Their  delegates  are  Doctor  Zubly,  a  clergyman  of 
the  Independent  persuasion,  who  has  a  parish  in  that 
colony,  and  a  good  deal  of  property.  He  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland  ;  is  a  man  of  learning  and  ingenuity.  It  is 
said  he  is  master  of  several  languages  —  Greek,  Latin, 
French,  Dutch,  and  English  ;  in  the  latter  it  is  said  he 
writes  tolerably.  He  is  a  man  of  zeal  and  spirit,  as  we 
have  already  seen  upon  several  occasions.  However,  as 
he  is  the  first  gentleman  of  the  cloth  who  has  appeared  in 
Congress,  I  cannot  but  wish  he  may  be  the  last.  Mixing 
the  sacred  character  with  that  of  the  statesman,  as  it  is 
quite  unnecessary  at  this  time  of  day,  in  these  colonies,  is 
not  attended  with  any  good  effects.  The  clergy  are  uni 
versally  too  little  acquainted  with  the  world  and  the  modes  I 
of  business,  to  engage  in  civil  affairs  with  any  advantage.  I 
Besides,  those  of  them  who  are  really  men  of  learning,^ 
have  conversed  with  books  so  much  more  than  men  as  to 
be  too  much  loaded  with  vanity  to  be  good  politicians. 
Mr.  Bullock  is  another  of  the  Georgia  delegates  —  a  sen 
sible  man  —  a  planter,  I  suppose.  Mr.  Houston  is  the 
third,  a  young  lawyer,  of  modesty  as  well  as  sense  and 
spirit,  which  you  will  say  is  uncommon. 

Mr.  Jones  and  Doctor  Hall  are  not  yet  arrived. 

Mr.  Henry  is  made  a  General  in  Virginia,  and  therefore 
could  not  come.  Mr.  Pendleton  and  Colonel  Bland  ex 
cused  themselves  on  account  of  age  and  ill-health.  Messrs. 
Nelson,  Wythe,  and  Lee  are  chosen,  and  are  here  in  the 
stead  pf  the  other  three.  Wythe  and  Lee  are  inoculated. 
You  shall  hear  more  about  them.  Although  they  come  in 
the  room  of  very  good  men,  we  have  lost  nothing  by  the 


100  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

change,  I   believe.     Remember  me  in   the  tenderest  lan 
guage  to  all  our  little  folks.     I  am  yours. 

62.  JOHN  ADAMS.  . 

Philadelphia,  1  October,  1775. 

THIS  morning  I  received  your  two  letters,  of  8  Septem 
ber  and  16  September.  What  shall  I  say?  The  intelli 
gence  they  contain  came  upon  me  by  surprise,  as  I  never 
had  the  least  intimation  before  that  any  of  my  family  was 
ill,  excepting  in  a  card  from  Mrs.  Warren,  received  a  few 
days  ago,  in  which  she  informed  me  that  "  Mrs.  Adams  had 
been  unwell,  but  was  better." 

You  may  easily  conceive  the  state  of  mind  in  which  I 
am  at  present.  Uncertain  and  apprehensive  at  first,  I  sud 
denly  thought  of  setting  off  immediately  for  Braintree,  and 
I  have  not  yet  determined  otherwise.  Yet  the  state  of 
public  affairs  is  so  critical  that  I  am  half  afraid  to  leave 
my  station,  although  my  presence  here  is  of  no  great  con 
sequence. 

I  feel,  I  tremble  for  you.  Poor  Tommy !  I  hope,  by 
this  time,  however,  he  has  recovered  his  plump  cheeks  and 
his  fine  bloom.  By  your  account  of  Patty  I  fear,  but  still 
I  will  hope  she  has  been  supported,  and  is  upon  the  recov 
ery.  I  rejoice  to  learn  that  Abby  and  her  brothers  have 
hitherto  escaped,  and  pray  God  that  His  goodness  may  be 
still  continued  to  them.  Your  description  of  the  distressed 
state  of  the  neighborhood  is  affecting  indeed.  It  is  not 
uncommon  for  a  train  of  calamities  to  come  together.  Fire, 
sword,  pestilence,  famine,  often  keep  company  and  visit  a 
country  in  a  flock. 

At  this  distance  I  can  do  no  good  to  you  or  yours.  I 
pray  God  to  support  you.  I  hope  our  friends  and  neigh 
bors  are  kind  as  usual.  I  feel  for  them  in  the  general 
calamity.  I  am  so  far  from  thinking  you  melancholy,  that 
I  am  charmed  with  that  admirable  fortitude  and  that  divine 
spirit  of  resignation  which  appear  in  your  letters.  I  can 
not  express  the  satisfaction  it  gives  me,  nor  how  much  it 
contributes  to  support  me. 

You  have  alarmed  me,  however,  by  mentioning  anxieties 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  101 

which  you  do  not  think  it  proper  to  mention  to  any  one.  I 
am  wholly  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  what  they  can  be.  If 
they  arise  from  the  letters,  be  assured  that  you  may  banish 
them  forever.  These  letters  l  have  reached  Philadelphia, 
but  have  produced  effects  very  different  from  those  which 
were  expected  from  the  publication  of  them.  These  effects 
I  will  explain  to  you  sometime  or  other.  As  to  the  versi 
fication  of  them,  if  there  is  wit '  or  humor  in  it,  laugh  ;  if 
ill-nature,  sneer ;  if  mere  dullness,  why,  you  may  even 
yawn  or  nod.  I  have  no  anger  at  it,  nay  even  scarcely 
contempt.  It  is  impotent. 

As  to  politics,  we  have  nothing  to  expect  but  the  whole 
wrath  and  force  of  Great  Britain.  But  your  words  are  as ! 
true  as  an  oracle,  "  God  helps  them  who  help  themselves,  1 
and  if  we  obtain  the  divine  aid  by  our  own  virtue,  fortitude,  | 
and  perseverance,  we  may  be  sure  of  relief."  It  may  amuse 
you  to  hear  a  story.  A  few  days  ago,  in  company  with 
Dr.  Zubly,  somebody  said  there  was  nobody  on  our  side 
but  the  Almighty.  The  Doctor,2  who  is  a  native  of  Switz 
erland,  and  speaks  but  broken  English,  quickly  replied, 
"  Dat  is  enough  !  Dat  is  enough  !  "  And  turning  to  me, 
says  he,  "  It  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  fellow  who  once  said, 
The  Catholics  have  on  their  side  the  Pope,  and  the  King 
of  France,  and  the  King  of  Spain,  and  the  King  of  Sar 
dinia,  and  the  King  of  Poland,  and  the  Emperor  of  Ger 
many,  etc.,  etc.,  etc. ;  but  as  to  those  poor  devils,  the 
Protestants,  they  have  nothing  on  their  side  but  God  Al 
mighty." 

1  The  intercepted  letters  already  referred  to. 

2  The  reverend  Dr.  Zubly  was  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  Congress  from 
Georgia,  which  Province  did  not  appoint  any  until  July,  1775.     He,  however, 
was  among  the  few  who  stopped  by  the  wayside.     So  far  from  retaining  the 
confidence  here  expressed  in  the  American  cause,  he  entered  into  secret  corre 
spondence  with  the  British  authorities  in  Georgia,  and  being  detected,  he  fled 
the  country. 


102  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

63.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Weymouth,!  1  October,  1775. 

HAVE  pity  upon  me.     Have  pity  upon  me,  O  thou  my 
beloved,  for  the  hand  of  God  presseth  me  sore. 
*    Yet  will  I  be  dumb  and  silent,  and  not  open  my  mouth, 
because  Thou,  O  Lord,  hast  done  it. 

How  can  I  tell  you  (0  my  bursting  heart !)  that  my  dear 
mother  has  left  me  ?  This  day,  about  five  o'clock,  she  left 
this  world  for  an  infinitely  better. 

After  sustaining  sixteen  days'  severe  conflict,  nature 
fainted,  and  she  fell  asleep.  Blessed  spirit !  where  art 
thou  ?  At  times  I  am  almost  ready  to  faint  under  this 
severe  and  heavy  stroke,  separated  from  thee,  who  used  to 
be  a  comforter  to  me  in  affliction  ;  but,  blessed  be  God,  his 
ear  is  not  heavy  that  He  cannot  hear,  but  He  has  bid  us  call 
upon  Him  in  time  of  trouble. 

I  know  you  are  a  sincere  and  hearty  mourner  with  me, 
and  will  pray  for  me  in  my  affliction.  My  poor  father, 
like  a  firm  believer  and  a  good  Christian,  sets  before  his 
children  the  best  of  examples  of  patience  and  submission. 
My  sisters  send  their  love  to  you  and  are  greatly  afflicted. 
You  often  expressed  your  anxiety  for  me  when  you  left 
me  before,  surrounded  with  terrors ;  but  my  trouble  then 
was  as  the  small  dust  in  the  balance,  compared  to  what  I 
have  since  endured.  I  hope  to  be  properly  mindful  of  the 
correcting  hand,  that  I  may  not  be  rebuked  in  anger. 

You  will  pardon  and  forgive  all  my  wanderings  of  mind  ; 
I  cannot  be  correct. 

'T  is  a  dreadful  time  with  the  whole  province.  Sickness 
and  death  are  in  almost  every  family.  I  have  no  more 
shocking  and  terrible  idea  of  any  distemper,  except  the 
plague,  than  this. 

Almighty  God !  restrain  the  pestilence  which  walketh  in 
darkness  and  wasteth  at  noonday,  and  which  has  laid  in 
the  dust  one  of  the  dearest  of  parents.  May  the  life  of  the 
other  be  lengthened  out  to  his  afflicted  children. 

From  your  distressed  PORTIA. 

1  This  was  written  from  the  house  of  her  father. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  103 

64.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

x  Philadelphia,  2  October,  1775. 

EVERYTHING  here  is  in  as  good  a  way  as  I  could  wish, 
considering  the  temper  and  designs  of  Administration.  I 
assure  you  the  letters  have  had  no  such  bad  effects  as  the 
Tories  intended,  and  as  some  of  our  short-sighted  Whigs 
apprehended  ;  so  far  otherwise,  that  I  see  and  hear  every 
day  fresh  proofs  that  everybody  is  coming  fast  into  every 
political  sentiment  contained  in  them.  I  assure  you  I  could 
mention  compliments  passed  upon  them,  and  if  a  serious 
decision  could  be  had  upon  them,  the  public  voice  would  be 
found  in  their  favor. 

But  I  am  distressed  with  cares  of  another  kind.  Your 
two  letters  are  never  out  of  my  thoughts.  I  should  have 
mounted  my  horse  this  day'for  Braintree  if  I  had  not  hopes 
of  hearing  further  from  you  in  a  day  or  two.  However, 
I  will  hope  that  your  prospects  are  more  agreeable  than 
they  were,  and  that  the  children  are  all  better,  as  well  as 
the  rest  of  the  family,  and  the  neighbors.  If  I  should  hear 
"more  disagreeable  advices  from  you,  I  shall  certainly  come 
home,  for  I  cannot  leave  you  in  such  affliction  without  en 
deavoring  to  lessen  it,  unless  there  was  an  absolute  neces 
sity  of  my  staying  here  to  do  a  duty  to  the  public,  which  I 
think  there  is  not. 

I  must  beg  to  be  excused,  my  dear,  from  hinting  at  any 
thing  for  the  future,  of  public  persons  or  things.  Secrecy 
is  so  much  exacted.  But  thus  much  I  may  say,  that  I 
never  saw  so  serious  and  determined  a  spirit.  I  must  also 
beseech  you  to  be  cautious  what  you  write  to  me  and  by 
whom  you  send.  Letters  sent  to  the  care  of  Colonel  War 
ren  will  come  safe.  My  regards,  with  all  proper  distinc 
tions,  to  rny  relations  and  yours,  my  friends  and  yours,  my 
acquaintances  and  yours. 

This  will  go  by  Major  Bayard,  a  gentleman  of  the  Pres 
byterian  persuasion  in  this  city,  of  excellent  character,  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  a  great  many  civilities. 


104  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

65.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

7  October,  1775. 

YESTERDAY,  by  the  post,  I  received  yours  of  25  Sep 
tember.  And  it  renewed  a  grief  and  anxiety  that  were 
before  almost  removed  from  my  mind.  Two  days  before,  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  very  valuable  letter  from  Colonel 
Quincy,  in  which  he  kindly  informed  me  that  you  and  our 
family  were  so  much  better  that  you  and  my  dear  Abby 
had  made  a  visit  at  his  house;  and  Mr.  Williams,  who 
brought  the  letter,  acquainted  me  that  he  had  been  to 
Braintree  after  the  date  of  it,  that  you  was  in  good  spirits, 
that  Tommy  was  so  much  better  as  to  be  playing  abroad, 
and  that  he  hoped  Patty  was  not  in  danger.  You  will 
easily  believe  that  this  information  gave  me  great  pleasure 
and  fine  spirits.  It  really  relieved  me  from  a  heavy  load. 
But  your  last  letter  has  revived  my  concern.  I  will  still 
hope,  however,  that  your  excellent  mother  will  yet  be 
spared  for  a  blessing  to  her  family,  and  an  example  to  the 
world.  I  build  my  hopes  of  her  recovery  upon  the  advan 
tage  of  a  constitution  which  has  hitherto  sustained  so  many 
attacks,  and  upon  a  long  course  of  exact  temperance,  which, 
I  hope,  has  deprived  the  distemper  of  its  most  dangerous 
food  and  fuel.  However,  our  lives  are  not  in  our  own 
power.  It  is  our  duty  to  submit.  '  "  The  ways  of  Heaven 
are  dark  and  intricate,"  its  designs  are  often  inscrutable,  but 
are  always  wise  and  just  and  good. 

It  was  long  before  I  had  the  least  intimation  of  the  dis 
tress  of  the  family,  and  I  fear  that  your  not  receiving  so 
many  letters  from  me  as  usual  may  have  been  one  cause 
of  infelicity  to  you.  Really,  my  dear,  I  have  been  more 
cautious  than  I  used  to  be.  It  is  not  easy  to  know  whom 
to  trust  in  these  times  ;  and  if  a  letter  from  any  person  in 
the  situation  I  am  in  can  be  laid  hold  of,  there  are  so 
many  lies  made  and  told  about  it,  so  many  false  copies 
taken  and  dispersed,  and  so  many  false  constructions  put, 
that  one  ought  to  be  cautious. 

The  situation  of  things  is  so  alarming,  that  it  is  our  duty 
to  prepare  our  minds  and  hearts  for  every  event,  even  the 
worst.  From  my  earliest  entrance  into  life,  I  have  been 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  105 

engaged  in  the  public  cause  of  America ;  and  from  first  to 
last  I  have  had  upon  my  mind  a  strong  impression  that 
tilings  would  be  wrought  up  to  their  present  crisis.  I  saw 
from  the  beginning  that  the  controversy  was  of  such  a 
nature  that  it  never  would  be  settled,  and  every  day  con 
vinces  me  more  and  more.  This  has  been  the  source  of  all 
the  disquietude  of  my  life.  It  has  lain  down  and  risen  up 
with  me  these  twelve  years.  '  The  thought  that  we  might 
be  driven  to  the  sad  necessity  of  breaking  our  connection 
with  Great  Britain,  exclusive  of  the  carnage  and  destruc 
tion,  which  it  was  easy  to  see  must  attend  the  separation, 
always  gave  me  a  great  deal  of  grief.  And  even  now  I 
would  cheerfully  retire  from  public  life  forever,  .renounce 
all  chance  for  profits  or  honors  from  the  public,  nay,  I 
would  cheerfully  contribute  my  little  property,  to  obtain 
peace  and  liberty.  But  all  these  must  go,  and  my  life  too, 
before  I  can  surrender  the  right  of  my  country  to  a  free 
"  Constitution.  I  dare  not  consent  to  it.  I  should  be  the 
most  miserable  of.  mortals  ever '  after,  whatever  honors  or 
emoluments  might  surround  me. 

66.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  9  October,  1775. 

I  HAVE  not  been  composed  enough  to  write  you  since 
last  Sabbath,  when  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul  I  wrote  a 
few  confused  lines,  since  which  it  has  pleased  the  great 
disposer  of  all  events  to  add  breach  to  breach. 

"  Rare  are  solitary  woes,  they  leave  a  train 
And  tread  each  other's  heel." 

The  day  week  that  I  was  called  to  attend  a  dying  par 
ent's  bed  I  was  again  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  one  of 
my  own  family.  I  have  just  returned  from  attending 
Patty  to  the  grave.  No  doubt,  long  before  this  will  reach 
you,  you  have  received  a  melancholy  train  of  letters,  in 
some  of  which  I  mention  her  as  dangerously  sick.  She 
has  lain  five  weeks,  wanting  a  few  days,  so  bad  that  we  had 
little  hope  of  her  recovery.  We  have  yet  great  sickness 
in  the  town.  She  made  the  fourth  corpse  that  was  this 
day  committed  to  the  ground.  We  have  many  others  now 
so  bad  as  to  despair  of  their  lives. 


106  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

But  blessed  be  the  Father  of  mercies,  all  our  family  are 
now  well,  though  I  have  my  apprehension  lest  the  ma 
lignity  of  the  air  in  the  house  may  have  infected  some  of 
them.  We  have  fevers  of  various  kinds,  the  throat  dis 
temper  as  well  as  the  dysentery  prevailing  in  this  and  the 
neighboring  towns. 

How  long,  O  Lord,  shall  the  whole  land  say,  I  am  sick ! 
Oh,  show  us  wherefore  it  is  that  Thou  art  thus  contending 
with  us  !  In  a  very  particular  manner  I  have  occasion  to 
make  this  inquiry,  who  have  had  breach  upon  breach  —  nor 
has  one  wound  been  permitted  to  be  healed  ere  it  is  made 
to  bleed  afresh.  In  six  weeks  I  count  five  of  my  near 
connections  laid  in  the  grave.  Your  aunt  Simpson  died 
at  Milton  about  ten  days  ago,  with  the  dysentery. 

But  the  heavy  stroke  which  most  of  all  disturbs  me  is 
my  dear  mother.  I  cannot  overcome  my  too  selfish  sorrow. 
All  her  tenderness  towards  me,  her  care  and  anxiety  for 
my  welfare  at  all  times  ;  her  watchfulness  over  my  infant 
years,  her  advice  and  instruction  in  maturer  age,  —  all,  all 
endear  her  memory  to  me  and  heighten  my  sorrow  for  her 
loss.  At  the  same  time,  I  know  a  patient  submission  is 
my  duty.  I  will  strive  to  obtain  it,  but  the  lenient  hand 
of  time  alone  can  blunt  the  keen  edge  of  sorrow.  He  who 
deigned  to  weep  over  a  departed  friend  will  surely  forgive 
a  sorrow  which  at  all  times  desires  to  be  bounded  and  re 
strained  by  a  firm  belief  that  a  Being  of  infinite  wisdom 
and  unbounded  goodness  will  carve  out  my  portion  in  ten 
der  mercy  to  me.  Yea,  though  He  slay  me,  I  will  trust  in 
Him,  said  holy  Job.  What  though  His  corrective  hand 
hath  been  stretched  against  me ;  I  will  not  murmur. 
Though  earthly  comforts  are  taken  away,  I  will  not  re 
pine.  He  who  gave  them  has  surely  a  right  to  limit  their 
duration,  and  He  has  continued  them  to  me  much  longer 
than  I  deserve.  I  might  have  been  stripped  of  my  child 
ren,  as  many  others  have  been.  I  might,  —  oh,  forbid  it 
Heaven,  —  I  might  have  been  left  a  solitary  widow  ! 

Still  I  have  many  blessings  left,  many  comforts  to  be 
thankful  for  and  rejoice  in.  I  am  not  left  to  mourn  as 
one  without  hope. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  107 

Forgive  me  for  thus  dwelling  upon  a  subject  sweet  to 
me,  but  I  fear  painful  to  you.  Oh,  how  I  have  longed  for 
your  bosom,  to  pour  forth  my  sorrows  there  and  find  a 
healing  balm  ;  but  perhaps  that  has  been  denied  me  that 
I  might  be  led  to  a  higher  and  a  more  permanent  con- 
solator  who  has  bid  us  all  call  upon  Him  in  the  day  of 
trouble. 

As  this  is  the  first  day  since  your  absence  that  I  could 
write  you  that  we  were  all  well,  I  desire  to  mark  it  with 
particular  gratitude  and  humbly  hope  that  all  my  warn 
ings  and  corrections  are  not  in  vain. 

I  most  thankfully  received  your  kind  favor  of  the  26th, 
yesterday.  It  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  hear  of  your 
health.  I  pray  Heaven  for  the  continuance  of  it.  I  hope 
for  the  future  to  be  able  to  give  you  more  intelligence  with 
regard  to  what  passes  out  of  my  own  little  circle,  but  such 
has  been  my  distress  that  I  know  nothing  of  the  political 
world. 

You  have  doubtless  heard  of  the  villainy  of  one  who 
has  professed  himself  a  patriot.1  But  let  not  that  man 
be  trusted  who  can  violate  private  faith  and  cancel  solemn 
covenants,  who  can  leap  over  moral  law  and  laugh  at 
Christianity.  How  is  he  to  be  bound  whom  neither  honor 
nor  conscience  holds  ?  We  have  here  a  rumor  that  Rhode 
Island  has  shared  the  fate  of  Charlestown.  Is  this  the  day 
we  read  of,  when  Satan  was  to  be  loosed  ? 

I  do  not  hear  of  any  inhabitants  getting  out  of  town. 
'T  is  said  Gage  is  superseded  and  Howe  in  his  place,  and 
that  Howe  released  the  prisoners  from  jail.  'T  is  also  said, 
though  not  much  credited,  that  Burgoyne  is  gone  to  Phil 
adelphia. 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  soon.  Adieu,  'tis  almost 
twelve  o'clock  at  night.  I  have  had  so  little  sleep  lately 
that  I  must  bid  you  good-night.  PORTIA. 

1  Dr.  Church. 


108  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

67.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  10  October,  1775. 

I  AM  much  concerned  lest  you  should  feel  an  addition 
to  your  anxieties,  from  your  having  so  seldom  heard  from 
me.  -But  I  pray  you  to  dismiss  all  concern  about  me.  I 
am  happier  far  than  I  was  before  the  adjournment.  My 
health  is  better,  and  business  and  conversation  are  much 
more  to  my  taste. 

The  surprising  intelligence  we  have  in  private  letters 
concerning  the  Director  of  the  Hospital,1  has  made  me 
more  cautious  of  writing  than  ever.  I  must  be  excused 
from  writing  a  syllable  of  anything  of  any  moment.  My 
letters  have  been  and  will  be  nothing  but  trifles.  I  don't 
choose  to  trust  the  post.  I  am  afraid  to  trust  private 
travellers.  They  may  peep.  Accidents  may  happen.  And 
I  would  avoid,  if  I  could,  even  ridicule,  but  especially  mis 
chief. 

Pray,  bundle  up  every  paper,  not  already  hid,  and  con 
ceal  them  in  impenetrable  darkness.  Nobody  knows  what 
may  occur. 

My  love  to  those  who  are  dearest  to  us  both.  Send 
yours  to  the  care  of  the  gentleman  whose  care  has  hitherto 
been  successful.  Date  them  in  time  but  not  place,  and 
assume  a  new  fictitious  name. 

68.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

13  October,  1775. 

I  THIS  day  received  yours  of  the  29th  of  September  and 
the  1st  of  October.  Amidst  all  your  afflictions,  I  am  re 
joiced  to  find  that  you  all  along  preserve  so  proper  and  so 
happy  a  temper ;  that  you  are  sensible  "  the  consolations 
of  religion  are  the  only  sure  comforters."  It  is  the  con 
stitution  under  which  we  are  born,  that  if  we  live  long  our 
selves,  we  must  bury  our  parents  and  all  our  elder  rela 
tions,  and  many  of  those  who  are  younger.  I  have  lost  a 
parent,  a  child,  and  a  brother,  and  each  of  them  left  a  last 
ing  impression  on  my  mind.  But  you  and  I  have  many 
l  Dr.  Church. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  109 

more  relations  and  very  good  friends  to  follow  to  the  house 
appointed  for  all  flesh,  or  else  we  must  be  followed  by 
them.  I  bewail,  more  than  I  can  express,  the  loss  of  your 
excellent  mother.  I  mourn  the  loss  of  so  much  purity, 
and  unaffected  piety  and  virtue,  to  the  world.  I  know  of 
no  better  character  left  in  it.  I  grieve  for  you,  and  your 
brother  and  sisters.  I  grieve  for  your  father,  whose  age 
will  need  the  succor  of  so  excellent  a  companion.  But  I 
grieve  for  nobody  more  than  my  children.  Her  most  ami 
able  and  discreet  example,  as  well  as  her  kind  skill  and 
care,  I  have  ever  relied  upon,  in  my  own  mind,  for  the 
education  of  these  little  swarms.  Not  that  I  have  not  a 
proper  esteem  for  the  capacity  and  disposition  of  the 
mother,  but  I  know  that  the  efforts  of  the  grandmother 
are  of  great  importance,  when  they  second  those  of  the 
parent.  And  I  am  sure  that  my  children  are  the  better 
for  the  forming  hand  of  their  grandmother.  It  gives  me 
great  joy  to  learn  that  ours  are  well.  Let  us  be  thankful 
for  this,  and  many  other  blessings  yet  granted  us.  Pray, 
my  dear,  cherish  in  their  minds  the  remembrance  of  their 
grandmamma,  and  remind  them  of  her  precepts  and  exam 
ple.  God  Almighty  grant  to  you  and  to  every  branch  of 
the  family  all  the  support  that  you  want. 

You  and  I,  my  dear,  have  reason,  if  ever  mortals  had, 
to  be  thoughtful ;  to  look  forward  beyond  the  transitory 
scene.  Whatever  is  preparing  for  us,  let  us  be  prepared 
to  receive.  It  is  time  for  us  to  subdue  our  passions  of 
every  kind.  The  prospect  before  us  is  an  ocean  of  uncer 
tainties,  in  which  no  pleasing  objects  appear.  We  have 
few  hopes,  excepting  that  of  preserving  our  honor  and  our 
consciences  untainted,  and  a  free  Constitution  to  our  coun 
try.  Let  me  be  sure  of  .these,  and,  amidst  all  my  weak 
nesses,  I  cannot  be  overcome.  With  these,  I  can  be  happy 
in  extreme  poverty,  in  humble  insignificance,  may  I  hope 
and  believe,  in  death.  Without  them,  I  should  be  miser 
able  with  a  crown  upon  my  head,  millions  in  my  coffers, 
and  a  gaping,  idolizing  multitude  at  my  feet. 

My  heart  is  too  full  of  grief  for  you  and  our  friends,  to 
whom  I  wish  you  to  present  my  regards,  to  say  anything 


110  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

of  news  or  politics.  Yet  the  affair  of  the  Surgeon -general 
is  so  strange  and  important  an  event  that  I  cannot  close 
this  gloomy  letter  without  adding  a  sigh  for  this  imprudent, 
unfortunate  man.  I  know  not  whether  the  evidence  will 
support  the  word  treachery,  but  what  may  we  not  expect 
after  treachery  to  himself,  his  wife  and  children  ? 

69.  JOHN  ADAMS.      / 

yiQ  October,  1775. 

IT  is  some  time  since  I  wrote  you,  and  I  have  nothing 
now  to  write  but  repetitions  of  respect  and  affection.  I 
am  anxious  to  hear  from  you.  I  hope  the  family  is  better ; 
that  your  grief  for  the  great  loss  we  have  all  sustained  is 
somewhat  abated.  I  hope  your  father  and  sister  Betsey 
are  well,  though  they  must  be  greatly  afflicted.  Give  my 
love  to  Betsey,  and  let  her  know  that  I  feel  most  inti 
mately  for  her,  as  well  as  for  myself  and  the  rest.  I  con 
sider  the  stroke  must  fall  heavier  upon  her,  as  it  was 
nearer  to  her.  Her  prosperity  is  near  my  heart.  I  wish 
her  every  blessing  which  she  can  possibly  wish  for  herself. 

Really,  it  is  very  painful  to  be  four  hundred  miles  from 
one's  family  and  friends,  when  we  know  they  are  in  afflic 
tion.  It  seems  as  if  it  would  be  a  joy  to  me  to  fly  home, 
even  to  share  with  you  your  burdens  and  misfortunes. 
Surely,  if  I  were  with  you,  it  would  be  my  study  to  allay 
your  griefs,  to  mitigate  your  pains,  and  to  divert  your  mel 
ancholy  thoughts.  When  I  shall  come  home,  I  know  not. 
"We  have  so  much  to  do,  and  it  is  so  difficult  to  do  it  right, 
that  we  must  learn  patience.  Upon  my  word,  I  think,  if 
ever  I  were  to  come  here  again,  I  must  bring  you  with  me. 
I  could  live  here  pleasantly,  if  I  had  you  with  me.  Will 
you  come  and  have  the  small-pox  *  here  ?  I  wish  I  could 
remove  all  the  family,  our  little  daughter  and  sons,  and  all 
go  through  the  distemper  here.  What  if  we  should  ? 
Let  me  please  myself  with  the  thought,  however. 

Congress  has  appointed  Mr.  Wythe,  Mr.  Deane,  and  me 
a  committee  to  collect  an  account  of  the  hostilities  com 
mitted  by  the  "troops  and  ships,  with  proper  evidence  of  the 
1  By  inoculation,  which  was  then  the  practice. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  Ill 

number  and  value  of  the  houses  and  other  buildings  de 
stroyed  or  damaged,  the  vessels  captivated,  and  the  cattle, 
sheep,  hogs,  etc.,  taken.  We  are  about  writing  to  all  the 
General  Assemblies  of  New  England,  and  to  many  private 
gentlemen  in  each  colony,  to  assist  us  in  making  the  col 
lections.  The  gentlemen  with  me  are  able  men.  Deane's 
character  you  know.  He  is  a  very  ingenious  man  and  an 
able  politician.  Wythe  is  a  new  member  from  Virginia,  a 
lawyer  of  the  highest  eminence  in  that  province,  a  learned 
and  very  laborious  man  ;  so  that  we  may  hope  this  com 
mission  will  be  well  executed.  A  tale  of  woe  it  will  be ! 
Such  a  scene  of  distress  and  destruction,  and  so  patiently 
and  magnanimously  borne  !  Such  a  scene  of  cruelty  and 
barbarity,  so  unfeelingly  committed  !  I  mention  this  to 
you,  my  dear,  that  you  may  look  up,  and  transmit  to  me, 
a  paper  which  Colonel  Palmer  lent  me,  containing  a  rela 
tion  of  the  Charlestown  battle,  which  was  transmitted  to 
England  by  the  Committee  of  Safety.  This  paper  I  must 
have,  or  a  copy  of  it. 

I  wish  I  could  collect,  from  the  people  of  Boston  or 
others,  a  proper  set  of  paintings  of  the  scenes  of  distress 
and  misery  brought  upon  that  town  from  the  commence 
ment  of  the  Port  Bill.  Posterity  must  hear  a  story  that 
shall  make  their  ears  to  tingle. 

Yours,  yours,  yours. 

70.   ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  21  October,  1775. 

THE  sickness  has  abated  here  and  in  the  neighboring 
towns.  In  Boston,  I  am  told,  it  is  very  sickly  among  the 
inhabitants  and  the  soldiery.  By  a  man,  one  Haskins,  who 
came  out  the  day  before  yesterday,  I  learn  that  there  are 
but  about  twenty-five  hundred  soldiers  in  town.  How 
many  there  are  at  Charlestown,  he  could  not  tell.  He  had 
been  in  irons  three  weeks,  some  malicious  fellow  having 
said  that  he  saw  him  at  the  battle  of  Lexington ;  but  he 
proved  that  he  was  not  out  of  Boston  that  day,  upon  which 
he  was  released,  and  went  with  two  other  men  out  in  a 
small  boat,  under  their  eye,  to  fish.  They  played  about  near 


112  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

the  shore,  while  catching  small  fish,  till  they  thought  they 
could  possibly  reach  Dorchester  Neck  ;  no  sooner  were  they 
perceived  attempting  to  escape,  than  they  had  twenty  can 
nons  discharged  at  them,  but  they  all  happily  reached  the 
shore.  He  says  no  language  can  paint  the  distress  of  the 
inhabitants  ;  most  of  them  destitute  of  wood  and  of  provis 
ions  of  every  kind.  The  bakers  say,  unless  they  have  a 
new  supply  of  wood  they  cannot  bake  above  one  fortnight 
longer ;  their  biscuit  are  not  above  one  half  the  former 
size ;  the  soldiers  are  obliged  to  do  very  hard  duty,  and 
are  uneasy  to  a  great  degree,  many  of  them  declaring 
they  will  not  continue  much  longer  in  such  a  state,  but  at 
all  hazards  will  escape.  The  inhabitants  are  desperate,  and 
contriving  means  of  escape.  A  floating  battery  of  ours 
went  out  two  nights  ago,  and  rowed  near  the  town,  and 
then  discharged  their  guns.  Some  of  the  balls  went  into 
the  workhouse,  some  through  the  tents  in  the  Common,  and 
one  through  the  sign  of  the  Lamb  Tavern.  He  says  it 
drove  them  all  out  of  the  Common,  men,  women,  and 
children  screaming,  and  threw  them  into  the  utmost  distress  ; 
but,  very  unhappily  for  us,  in  the  discharge  of  one  of  the 
cannon,  the  ball  not  being  properly  rammed  down,  it  split 
and  killed  two  men,  and  wounded  seven  more,  upon  which 
they  were  obliged  to  return.  He  also  says  that  the  Tories 
are  much  distressed  about  the  fate  of  Dr.  Church,  and  very 
anxious  to  obtain  him,  and  would  exchange  Lovell  for  him. 
This  man  is  so  exasperated  at  the  ill  usage  he  has 
received  from  them,  that  he  is  determined  to  enlist  imme 
diately.  They  almost  starved  him  whilst  he  was  in  irons. 
He  says  he  hopes  it  will  be  in  his  power  to  send  some  of 
them  to  heaven  for  mercy.  They  are  building  a  fort  by 
the  hay -market,1  and  rending  down  houses  for  timber  to  do 
it  with.  In  the  course  of  the  last  week,  several  persons  have 
found  means  to  escape.  One  of  them  says  it  is  talked  in 
town  that  Howe  will  issue  a  proclamation,  giving  liberty 
to  all  who  will  not  take  up  arms,  to  depart  the  town,  and 
making  it  death  to  have  any  intercourse  with  the  country 
afterwards. 

1  Somewhere  about  the  southeasterly  corner  of  the  Common. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  113 

At  present  it  looks  as  if  there  was  no  likelihood  of  peace  ; 
the  ministry  are  determined  to  proceed  at  all  events ;  the 
people  are  already  slaves,  and  have  neither  virtue  nor 
spirit  to.  help  themselves  nor  us.  The  time  is  hastening 
when  George,  like  Richard,  may  cry,  "  My  kingdom  for  a 
horse  !  "  and  want  even  that  wealth  to  make  the  purchase. 
I  hope  by  degrees  we  shall  be  inured  to  hardships,  and 
become  a  virtuous,  valiant  people,  forgetting  our  former 
luxury,  and  each  one  apply  with  industry  and  frugality  to 
manufactures  and  husbandry,  till  we  rival  all  other  nations 
by  our  virtues. 

I  thank  you  for  your  amusing  account  of  the  Quakers ; 
their  great  stress  with  regard  to  color  in  their  dress,  etc., 
is  not  the  only  ridiculous  part  of  their  sentiments  with 
regard  to  religious  matters. 

"  There  's  not  a  day  but  to  the  man  of  thought 
Betrays  some  secret,  that  throws  new  reproach 
On  life,  and  makes  him  sick  of  seeing  more." 

What  are  your  thoughts  with  regard  to  Dr.  Church  ?  Had 
you  much  knowledge  of  him  ?  I  think  you  had  no  intimate 
acquaintance  with  him. 

"  A  foe  to  God  was  ne'er  true  friend  to  man  ; 
Some  sinister  intent  taints  all  he  does." 

It  is  matter  of  great  speculation  what  will  be  his  punish 
ment  ;  the  people  are  much  enraged  against  him ;  if  he  is 
set  at  liberty,  even  after  he  has  received  a  severe  punish 
ment,  I  do  not  think  he  will  be  safe.  He  will  be  despised 
and  detested  by  every  one,  and  many  suspicions  will  remain 
in  the  minds  of  people  in  regard  to  our  rulers  ;  they  are  for 
supposing  this  person  is  not  sincere,  and  that  one  they  have 
jealousy  of.  ' 

Have  you  any  prospect  of  returning  ?  I  hoped  to  have 
heard  from  you  by  the  gentlemen  who  came  as  a  committee 
here ; J  but  they  have  been  here  a  week,  and  I  have  not 
any  letters. 

My  father  and  sister  Betsey  desire  to  be  remembered  to 
you.  He  is  very  disconsolate.  It  makes  my  heart  ache  to 

1  Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Lynch,  and  Colonel  Harrison,  who  came  from  the  COD* 
tinental  Congress  to  mature  the  plans  for  continuing  the  army. 
8 


114  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

see  him,  and  I  know  not  how  to  go  to  the  house.  He  said 
to  me  the  other  day,  "  Child,  I  see  your  mother,  go  to  what 
part  of  the  house  I  will."  I  think  he  has  lost  almost  as 
much  flesh  as  if  he  had  been  sick ;  and  Betsey,  poor  girl, 
looks  broken  and  worn  with  grief.  These  near  connections, 
how  they  twist  and  cling  about  the  heart,  and,  when  torn 
off,  draw  the  best  blood  from  it. 

"  Each  friend  by  fate  snatched  from  us  is  a  plume 
Plucked  from  the  wing  of  human  vanity." 

Be  so  good  as  to  present  my  regards  to  Mrs.  Hancock. 
I  hope  she  is  very  happy.  Mrs.  Warren  called  upon  me 
on  her  way  to  Watertown.  I  wish  I  could  as  easily  come 
to  you  as  she  can  go  to  Watertown.  But  it  is  my  lot.  In 
the  twelve  years  we  have  been  married,  I  believe  we  have 
not  lived  together  more  than  six. 

If  you  could,  with  any  conveniency,  procure  me  the  ar 
ticles  I  wrote  for,  I  should  be  very  glad,  more  especially 
the  needles  and  cloth  ;  they  are  in  such  demand  that  we 
are  really  distressed  for  want  of  them. 

Adieu.  I  think  of  nothing  further  to  add,  but  that  I  am, 
with  the  tenderest  regard,  your  PORTIA. 

71.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  22  October,  1775. 

MR.  LOTHROP  called  here  this  evening,  and  brought  me 
yours  of  the  1st  of  October, — a  day  which  will  ever  be 
remembered  by  me,  for  it  was  the  most  distressing  one  I 
ever  experienced.  That  morning  I  rose,  and  went  into  my 
mother's  room,  not  apprehending  her  so  near  her  exit ; 
went  to  her  bed  with  a  cup  of  tea  in  my  hand,  and  raised 
her  head  to  give  it  to  her.  She  swallowed  a  few  drops, 
gasped,  and  fell  back  upon  her  pillow,  opening  her  eyes 
with  a  look  that  pierced  my  heart,  and  which  I  shall  never 
forget ;  it  was  the  eagerness  of  a  last  look  ; 

"And  oh,  the  last  sad  silence  of  a  friend!  " 

Yet  she  lived  till  five  o'clock  that  day,  but  I  could  not 
be  with  her.  My  dear  father  prayed  twice  beside  her  bed 
that  day.  God  Almighty  was  with  him  and  supported  him 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  115 

that  day,  and  enabled  him  to  go  through  the  services  of  it. 
It  was  his  communion  day ;  he  had  there  a  tender  scene  to 
pass  through  —  a  young  granddaughter,  Betsey  Cranch, 
joining  herself  to  the  church,  and  a  beloved  wife  dying,  to 
pray  for.  Weeping  children,  weeping  and  mourning  pa 
rishioners  all  round  him,  for  every  eye  streamed,  his  own 
heart  almost  bursting  as  he  spoke.  How  painful  is  the 
recollection,  and  yet  how  pleasing ! 

I  know  I  wound  your  heart.  Why  should  I  ?  Ought  I 
to  give  relief  to  my  own  by  paining  yours  ?  Yet 

"  the  grief,  that  cannot  speak, 
Whispers  the  o'erfraught  heart,  and  bids  it  break." 

My  pen  is  always  freer  than  my  tongue.  I  have  written 
many  things  to  you  that  I  suppose  I  never  could  have 
talked.  My  heart  is  made  tender  by  repeated  affliction ; 
it  never  was  a  hard  heart.  The  death  of  Patty  came  very 
near  me,  having  lived  four  years  with  me  under  my  care. 
I  hope  it  will  make  me  more  continually  mindful  and 
watchful  of  all  those  who  are  still  committed  to  my  charge. 
'T  is  a  great  trust ;  I  daily  feel  more  and  more  of  the  weight 
and  importance  of  it,  and  of  my  own  inability.  I  wish  I 
could  have  more  of  the  assistance  of  my  dearest  friend,  but 
these  perilous  times  swallow  him  up. 

Mr.  Lothrop  has  given  me  this  account  of  the  demand 
upon  Falmouth.  A  man-of-war  and  two  tenders  went  down., 
and  sent  to  the  inhabitants  to  demand  their  arms  and  re 
quire  them  to  stand  neuter.  They  required  time  to  consider  ; 
they  had  until  nine  o'clock  the  next  day,  which  time  they 
employed  in  removing  the  women,  children,  and  the  rest  of 
their  most  valuable  effects,  out  of  danger,  when  they  sent 
their  answer  in  the  negative.  Upon  this,  the  enemy  began 
a  cannonade,  and  were  continuing  it  when  the  express  came 
away.  Hichborne  l  and  another  gentleman  got  out  of  town 
in  a  small  boat,  one  of  the  foggy  nights  we  have  had  this 
week.  I  have  not  heard  what  intelligence  he  brings.  An 
other  person  says  that  Howe  enlarged  all  the  prisoners  but 
Lovell,  and  he  would  not  come  out. 

l  This  was  the  person  in  whose  possession  the  letters  were  found,  when 
taken  prisoner  on  his  way  from  Philadelphia  to  Boston. 


116  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  .October, 

I  have  since  seen  the  Paraphrase,1  as  it  is  called ;  but 't  is 
us  low  as  the  mock  oration,  though  no  reflection  upon  your 
private  character,  further  than  immoderately  whipping  your 
scholars  when  you  kept  school,  a  crime  any  one  will  acquit 
you  of  who  knows  you.  As  a  specimen  of  the  wit  and 
humor  it  contained  I  will  give  you  the  title :  "  A  Paraphrase 
upon  the  Second  Epistle  of  John  the  Roundhead,  to  James, 
the  Prolocutor  of  the  Rump  Parliament.  Dear  Devil," 
etc.  I  had  it,  but  it  was  when  I  was  in  so  much  distress 
that  I  cared  nothing  about  it.  I  will  mention,  when  I  see 
you,  the  foolish  conjectures  of  some  who  want  always  to 
be  finding  out  something  extraordinary  in  whatever  hap 
pens. 

I  hope  to  hear  often  from  you,  which  is  all  the  alleviation 
I  have  in  your  absence,  and  is,  next  to  seeing  you,  the 
greatest  comfort  of  your  PORTIA. 

72.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

•/Philadelphia,  23  October,  1775. 

YESTERDAY  yours  of  October  9th  came  to  hand.  Your 
letters  never  failed  to  give  me  pleasure.  The  greatest 
pleasure  that  I  take  is  in  receiving  them.  And  although 
every  one  which  has  yet  come  to  hand  is  replete  with 
melancholy  tidings,  yet  I  can  truly  say  I  never  was  so 
earnest  to  receive  them.  I  rejoice  in  the  happy  principles 
and  the  happy  temper  which  apparently  dictated  them  all. 

I  feel  myself  much  affected  with  the  breach  upon  the 
family.  But  we  can  count  a  mother,  a  brother,  an  aunt, 
and  a  brother's  child  among  the  slain  by  this  cruel  pesti 
lence.  May  God  Almighty  put  a  stop  to  its  rage,  and 
humble  us  under  the  ravages  already  made  by  it.  The 
sorrows  of  all  our  friends,  on  the  loss  of  your  mother,  are 
never  out  of  my  mind.  I  pray  God  to  spare  my  parent, 
whose  life  has  been  prolonged  by  his  goodness  hitherto,  as 
well  as  yours  that  survives.  The  tremendous  calamities 

1  The  British  officers  and  the  loyal  Americans  shut  up  in  Boston  seem  to 
have  amused  their  hours  of  idleness  with  such  pastime  as  they  could  make  out 
of  ridicule  of  the  language  and  action  of  the  patriots.  The  productions  alluded 
to  in  the  text  were  leveled  at  Mr.  Adams,  on  account  of  the  intercepted  letters. 
No  copy  of  them  seems  to  have  beeu  preserved. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  117 

already  felt,  of  fire,  sword,  and  pestilence,  may  be  only  har 
bingers  of  greater  still.  We  have  no  security  against  ca 
lamity  here.  This  planet  is  its  region.  The  only  principle 
is  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst  events. 

If  I  could  write  as  well  as  you,  my  sorrow  would  be  as 
eloquent  as  yours,  but,  upon  my  word,  I  cannot. 

The  unaccountable  event  which  you  allude  to  has  reached 
this  place  and  occasioned  a  fall.  I  would  be  glad,  however, 
that  the  worst  construction  might  not  be  put.  Let  him 1 
have  fair  play ;  though  I  doubt. 

The  man  who  violates  private  faith,  cancels  solemn  obli 
gations,  whom  neither  honor  nor  conscience  holds,  shall 
never  be  knowingly  trusted  by  me.  Had  I  known,  when 
I  first  voted  for  a  Director  of  an  Hospital,  what  I  heard 
afterwards,  when  I  was  down,  I  would  not  have  voted  as  I 
did.  Open,  barefaced  immorality  ought  not  to  be  so  coun 
tenanced.  Though  I  think  a  fatality  attends  us  in  some 
instances,  yet  a  divine  protection  and  favor  is  visible  in 
others  ;  and  let  us  be  cheerful,  whatever  happens.  Cheer 
fulness  is  not  a  sin  in  any  times. 

I  am  afraid  to  hear  again,  almost,  lest  some  other  should 
be  sick  in  the  house.  Yet  I  hope  better,  and  that  you  will 
reassume  your  wonted  cheerfulness  and  write  again  upon 
news  and  politics.  Send  your  letters  to  Warren  for  con 
veyance.  I  won't  trust  any  other. 

73.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

—-"29  October. 

I  CANNOT  exclude  from  my  mind  your  melancholy  sit 
uation.  The  griefs  of  your  father  and  sisters,  your  uncles 
and  aunts,  as  well  as  the  remoter  connections,  often  crowd 
in  upon  me,  when  my  whole  attention  ought  to  be  directed 
to  other  subjects.  Your  uncle  Quincy,2  my  friend  as  well 
as  uncle,  must  regret  the  loss  of  a  beloved  sister.  Dr. 
Tufts,  my  other  friend,  I  know  bewails  the  loss  of  a  friend, 

1  Dr.  Church's  treachery,  which  incidentally  exposed  some  vices  of  his  pri 
vate  life. 

2  Norton  Quincy,  the  only  brother  of  Mrs.  Adams's  mother.     Mr.  Cranch 
had  married  the  elder  sister  of  Mrs.  Adams. 


118  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October,' 

as  well  as  an  aunt  and  a  sister.  Mr.  Cranch,  the  friend  of 
my  youth  as  well  as  of  my  riper  years,  whose  tender  heart 
sympathizes  with  his  fellow-creatures  in  every  affliction 
and  distress,  in  this  case  feels  the  loss  of  a  friend,  a  fellow- 
Christian,  and  a  mother.  But,  alas !  what  avail  these 
mournful  reflections  ?  The  best  thing  we  can  do,  the 
greatest  respect  we  can  show  to  the  memory  of  our  de 
parted  friend,  is  to  copy  into  our  own  lives  those  virtues 
which,  in  her  lifetime,  rendered  her  the  object  of  our 
esteem,  love,  and  admiration.  I  must  confess  I  ever  felt 
a  veneration  for  her,  which  seems  increased  by  the  news  of 
her  translation. 

Above  all  things,  my  dear,  let  us  inculcate  these  great 
virtues  and  bright  excellences  upon  our  children. 

Your  mother  had  a  clear  and  penetrating  understanding, 
and  a  profound  judgment,  as  well  as  an  honest,  and  a 
friendly,  and  a  charitable  heart.  There  is  one  thing,  how 
ever,  which  you  will  forgive  me  if  I  hint  to  you.  Let  me 
ask  you,  rather,  if  you  are  not  of  my  opinion  ?  Were  not 
her  talents  and  virtues  too  much  confined  to  private,  social, 
and  domestic  life  ?  My  opinion  of  the  duties  of  religion 
and  morality  comprehends  a  very  extensive  connection  with 
society  at  large  and  the  great  interests  of  the  public.  Does 
not  natural  morality  and  much  more  Christian  benevolence 
make  it  our  indispensable  duty  to  lay  ourselves  out  to  serve 
our  fellow-creatures,  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  in  pro 
moting  and  supporting  those  great  political  systems  and 
general  regulations  upon  which  the  happiness  of  multitudes 
depends  ?  The  benevolence,  charity,  capacity,  and  industry 
which,  exerted  in  private  life,  would  make  a  family,  a  par 
ish,  or  a  town  happy,  employed  upon  a  larger  scale,  in  sup 
port  of  the  great  principles  of  virtue  and  freedom  of  political 
regulations,  might  secure  whole  nations  and  generations 
from  misery,  want,  and  contempt.  Public  virtues  and 
political  qualities,  therefore,  should  be  incessantly  cher 
ished  in  our  children. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  119 

74.  JOHN  ADAMS. 


29  October,  1775. 

HUMAN  nature,  with  all  its  infirmities  and  deprivation, 
is  still  capable  of  great  things.  It  is  capable  of  attaining 
to  degrees  of  wisdom  and  of  goodness  which,  we  have  reason 
to  believe,  appear  respectable  in  the  estimation  of  superior 
intelligences.  Education  makes  a  greater  difference  be 
tween  man  and  man,  than  nature  has  made  between  man 
and  brute.  The  virtues  and  powers  to  which  men  may  be 
trained,  by  early  education  and  constant  discipline,  are  truly 
sublime  and  astonishing.  Newton  and  Locke  are  examples 
of  the  deep  sagacity  which  may  be  acquired  by  long  habits 
of  thinking  and  study.  Nay,  your  common  mechanics  and 
artisans  are  proofs  of  the  wonderful  dexterity  acquired  by 
use  ;  a  watchmaker,  in  finishing  his  wheels  and  springs  ;  a 
pin  or  needle-maker,  etc.  I  think  there  is  a  particular  oc 
cupation  in  Europe,  which  is  called  a  paper-stainer  or 
linen-stainer.  A  man  who  has  been  long  habituated  to  it 
shall  sit  for  a  whole  day,  and  draw  upon  paper  fresh  figures 
to  be  imprinted  upon  the  papers  for  rooms,  as  fast  as  his 
eye  can  roll  and  his  fingers  move,  and  no  two  of  his 
draughts  shall  be  alike.  The  Saracens,  the  Knights  of 
Malta,  the  army  and  navy  in  the  service  of  the  English 
republic,  among  many  others,  are  instances  to  show  to  what 
an  exalted  height  valor,  or  bravery,  or  courage  may  be 
raised  by  artificial  means. 

It  should  be  your  care,  therefore,  and  mine,  to  elevate 
the  minds  of  our  children  and  exalt  their  courage  ;  to  ac 
celerate  and  animate  their  industry  and  activity  ;  to  excite 
in  them  an  habitual  contempt  of  meanness,  abhorrence  of 
injustice  and  inhumanity,  and  an  ambition  to  excel  in 
every  capacity,  faculty,  and  virtue.  If  we  suffer  their 
minds  to  grovel  and  creep  in  infancy,  they  will  grovel  all 
their  lives. 

But  their  bodies  must  be  hardened,  as  well  as  their  soul* 
exalted.  Without  strength  and  activity  and  vigor  of  body, 
the  brightest  mental  excellences  will  be  eclipsed  and  ol> 
Bcured. 


120  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

75.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Same  date. 

THERE  is  in  the  human  breast  a  social  affection  which 
extends  to  our  whole  species,  faintly  indeed,  but  in  some 
degree.  The  nation,  kingdom,  or  community  to  which  we 
belong  is  embraced  by  it  more  vigorously.  It  is  stronger 
still  towards  the  province  to  which  we  belong,  and  in  which 
we  had  our  birth.  It  is  stronger  and  stronger  as  we  de 
scend  to  the  county,  town,  parish,  neighborhood,  and  family, 
which  we  call  our  own.  And  here  we  find  it  often  so  pow 
erful  as  to  become  partial,  to  blind  our  eyes,  to  darken  our 
understandings,  and  pervert  our  wills. 

It  is  to  this  infirmity  in  my  own  heart  that  I  must  per 
haps  attribute  that  local  attachment,  that  partial  fondness, 
that  overweening  prejudice  in  favor  of  New  England,  which 
I  feel  very  often,  and  which,  I  fear,  sometimes  leads  me  to 
expose  myself  to  just  ridicule. 

New  England  has,  in  many  respects,  the  advantage  of 
every  other  colony  in  America,  and,  indeed,  of  every  other 
part  of  the  world  that  I  know  anything  of. 

1.  The  people  are  purer  English  blood  ;  less  mixed  with 
Scotch,  Irish,  Dutch,  French,  Danish,   Swedish,   etc.,  than 
any  other ;  and  descended  from  Englishmen,  too,  who  left 
Europe  in  purer  times  than  the  present,  and  less  tainted 
with  corruption  than  those  they  left  behind  them. 

2.  The  institutions  in  New  England  for  the  support  of 
religion,  morals,  and  decency  exceed  any  other  ;  obliging 
every  parish  to  have  a  minister,  and  every  person  to  go  to 
meeting,  etc. 

3.  The  public  institutions  in  New  England  for  the  edu 
cation  of  youth,  supporting  colleges  at  the  public  expense, 
.and  obliging  towns  to  maintain  grammar  schools,  are  not 
equaled,  and  never  were,  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

4.  The   division  of  our   territory,  that   is,  our  counties, 
into  townships ;   empowering  towns    to    assemble,    choose 
-officers,  make  laws,  mend  roads,  and   twenty  other  things, 
gives  every  man  an  opportunity  of  showing  and  improving 
that  education   which  he  received  at  college  or  at  school, 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  121 

and  makes  knowledge  and  dexterity  at  public  business 
common. 

5.  Our  law  for  the  distribution  of  intestate  estates  occa 
sions  a  frequent  division  of  landed  property,  and  prevents 
monopolies  of  land. 

But  in  opposition  to  these  we  have  labored  under  many 
disadvantages.  The  exorbitant  prerogative  of  our  Gov 
ernors,  etc.,  which  would  have  overborne  our  liberties  if  it 
had  not  been  opposed,  by  the  five  preceding  particulars. 

76.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

4  November,  1775. 

I  HAVE  but  yesterday  received  yours  of  October  21. 
Your  letters  of  the  following  dates  I  have  received  :  8  and 
10,  16,  29  September;  1,  9,  21,  and  22  October.1  These 
letters,  and  indeed  every  line  from  you,  give  me  inexpress 
ible  pleasure,  notwithstanding  the  melancholy  scenes  de 
scribed  in  most  of  them  of  late.  I  am  happy  to  learn  that 
the  family  is  in  health  once  more,  and  hope  it  will  con 
tinue.  My  duty  to  my  mother.  I  wish  she  would  not  be 
concerned  about  me.  -She  ought  to  consider  that  a  dysen 
tery  can  kill  as  surely  as  a  cannon.  This  town  is  as  secure 
from  the  cannon  and  men-of-war  as  the  moon  is.  I  wish 
she  had  a  little  of  your  fortitude.  I  had  rather  be  killed 
by  a  ball  than  live  in  such  continual  fears  as  she  does. 

I  can't  write  as  often  as  I  wish.  I  am  engaged  from 
seven  in  the  morning  till  eleven  at  night. 

Two  pair  of  colors,  belonging  to  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
were  brought  here  last  night  from  Chambly,  and  hung  up 
in  Mrs.  Hancock's  chamber  with  great  splendor  and  ele 
gance.  That  lady  sends  her  compliments  andfgood  wishes. 
Among  a  hundred  men,  almost^at  this  housejsne  lives  andk 
be1m<ves"wTtH^modesty,  decency^  dignity,  a~h~3'  discretion,  I 
assure  you.  Her  behavior  is  easy  and  genteel.  She 
avoids  talking  upon  politics.  In  large  and  mixed  compa 
nies  _she  is  totally  silent,,  .as  a  lady  ought Ja  be. f  Bat 
whether  her  eyes  are  so  penetrating,  and  her  attention  so 
quick  to  the  words,  looks,  gestures,  sentiments,  etc.,  of  the 
1  Letters  Xo.  64,  66,  70,  71,  pp.  103,  105,  111,  114. 


122  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

company,  as  yours  would  be,  saucy  as  you  are  this  way,  I 
won't  say. 

But  to  resume  a  more  serious  subject.  You  ask  me  to 
write  to  your  father  and  sister,  and  my  heart  wishes  and 
longs  to  do  it,  but  you  can  have  no  conception  what  there 
is  to  prevent  me.  I  really  fear  I  shall  ruin  myself  for 
want  of  exercise. 

77.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

5  November,  1775. 

I  HOPE  you  have  received  several  letters  from  me  in 
this  fortnight  past.  I  wrote-  by  Mr.  Lynch  and  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  the  latter  of  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining 
with,  and  of  admiring  him,  whose  character  from  my  in 
fancy  I  had  been  taught  to  venerate.  I  found  him  social, 
but  not  talkative,  and  when  he  spoke,  something  useful 
dropped  from  his  tongue.  He  was  grave,  yet  pleasant  and 
affable.  You  know  I  make  some  pretensions  to  physiog 
nomy,  and  I  thought  I  could  read  in  his  countenance  the 
virtues  of  his  heart,  among  which  patriotism  shone  in  its 
full  lustre,  and  with  that  is  blended  every  virtue  of  a 
Christian :  for  a  true  patriot  must  be  a  religious  man.  I 
have  been  led  to  think  from  a  late  defection,1  that  he  who 
neglects  his  duty  to  his  Maker  may  well  be  expected  to 
be  deficient  and  insincere  in  his  duty  towards  the  public. 
Even  suppose  him  to  possess  a  large  share  of  what  is  called 
honor  and  public  spirit,  yet  do  not  these  men,  by  their 
bad  example,  by  a  loose,  immoral  conduct,  corrupt  the 
minds  of  youth  and  vitiate  the  morals  of  the  age,  and  thus 
injure  the  public  more  than  they  can  compensate  by  intre 
pidity,  generosity,  and  honor?  Let  revenge  or  ambition, 
pride,  lust,  or  profit,  tempt  these  men  to  a  base  and  vile 
action,  you  may  as  well  hope  to  bind  up  a  hungry  tiger 
with  a  cobweb,  as  to  hold  such  debauched  patriots  in  the 
visionary  chains  of  decency,  or  to  charm  them  with  the 
intellectual  beauty  of  truth  and  reason. 

But  where  am  I  running  ?  I  mean  to  thank  you  for  all 
your  obliging  favors  lately  received ;  and,  though  some  of 
l  Of  Dr.  Church. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  123 

them  are  very  laconic,  yet,  were  they  to  contain  only  two 
lines  to  tell  me  that  you  were  well,  they  would  be  accept 
able  to  me.  I  think,  however,  you  are  more  apprehensive 
than  you  need  be ;  the  gentleman  to  whose  care  they  have 
always  been  directed  h.is  been  very  kind  in  his  conveyance, 
and  very  careful.  I  hope  that  it  will  not  now  be  long  be 
fore  we  shall  have  nearer  interviews.  You  must  tell  me 
that  you  will  return  next  month ;  a  late  appointment 1  will 
make  it  inconvenient  (provided  you  accept)  for  you  to  go 
again  to  Congress. 

It  seems  human  nature  is  the  same  in  all  ages  and 
countries.  Ambition  and  avarice  reign  everywhere,  and 
where  they  predominate,  there  will  he  bickerings  after 
places  of  honor  and  profit.  There  is  an  old  adage,  "  Kiss 
ing  goes  by  favor,"  that  is  daily  verified.  I  inclose  to  you 
the  paper  you  sent  for.  Your  business  in  collecting  facts 
will  be  very  difficult,  and  the  sufferings  of  this  people  can 
not  be  described  with  pen,  ink,  and  paper.  Besides,  these 
ministers  of  Satan  are  rendering  it  every  day  more  and 
more  difficult,  by  their  ravages  and  devastation,  to  tell  a 
tale  which  will  freeze  the  young  blood  of  succeeding  gen 
erations,  as  well  as  harrow  up  the  souls  of  the  present. 

Nothing  new  has  transpired  since  I  wrote  you  last.  I 
have  not  heard  of  one  person's  escape  out  of  town,  nor  of 
any  rnano3uvre  of  any  kind. 

I  will  only  ask  you  to  measure  by  your  own  the  affec 
tionate  regard  of  your  nearest  friend. 

78.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  12  November,  1775. 

I  RECEIVED  yours  of  23d  October.  I  want  to  hear 
from  you  every  day,  and  I  always  feel  sorry  when  I  come 
to  the  close  of  a  letter.  Your  time  must  be  greatly  en 
grossed  —  but  little  of  it  to  spare  to  the  calls  of  private 
friendship,  and  I  have  reason  to  think  I  have  the  largest 
share  of  it.  Winter  makes  its  approaches  fast.  I  hope  I 
shall  not  be  obliged  to  spend  it  without  my  dearest  friend. 
I  know  not  how  to  think  of  it. 

i  Of  Chief  Justice. 


124  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

The  intelligence1  you  will  receive  before  this  reaches 
you  will,  I  should  think,  make  a  plain  path,  though  a  dan 
gerous  one,  for  you.  I  could  not  join  to-day  in  the  peti 
tions'  br  6uT~worthy  pastor,  for  a  reconciliation  between 
our  no  longer  parent  state,  but  tyrant  state,  and  these  col- 
>ouies.  Let  us__se£aratej  they  are  unworthy  to  be  our 
brethren.  Let  us  renounce  them ;  and  instead  of  suppli 
cations,  as  formerly,  for  their  prosperity  and  happiness,  let 
us  beseech  the  Almighty  to  blast  their  counsels  and  bring 
to  nought  all  their  devices. 

I  have  nothing  remarkable  to  write  you.  A  little  skir 
mish  happened  last  week.  The  particulars  I  have  endeav 
ored  to  collect,  but  whether  I  have  the  facts  right,  I  am 
not  certain.  A  number  of  cattle  were  kept  at  Lechniere's 
Point,  where  two  sentinels  were  placed.  In  a  high  tide  it 
is  an  island.  The  regulars  had  observed  this,  and  a 
scheme  was  laid  to  send  a  number  of  them  over  and  take 
off  the  stock.  Accordingly,  a  number  of  boats  and  about 
four  hundred  men  were  sent.  They  landed,  it  seems,  un- 
perceived  by  the  sentinels,  who  were  asleep  ;  one  of  whom 
they  killed,  and  took  the  other  prisoner.  As  soon  as  they 
were  perceived,  they  fired  the  cannon  from  Prospect  Hill 
upon  them,  which  sunk  one  of  their  boats ;  but,  as  the  tide 
was  very  high,  it  was  difficult  getting  over,  and  some  time 
before  any  alarm  was  given.  A  Colonel  Thompson,  of  the 
riflemen,  marched  instantly  with  his  men ;  and,  though  a 
very  stormy  day,  they  regarded  not  the  tide  nor  waited 
for  boats,  but  marched  over  neck-high  in  water,  and  dis 
charged  their  pieces,  when  the  regulars  ran,  without  wait 
ing  to  get  off  their  stock,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way 
to  the  opposite  shore.2  The  General  sent  his  thanks  in  a 
public  manner  to  the  brave  officer  and  his  men.  Major 
Mifflin,  I  hear,  was  there,  and  flew  about  as  though  he 
would  have  raised  the  whole  army.  May  they  never  find 
us  deficient  in  courage  and  spirit. 

1  This  may  refer  to  the  act  of  the  Provincial  Congress  authorizing  priva 
teering,  passed  a  clay  or  two  before. 

2  Some  account  of  this  affair  is  given  in  the  Remembrancer  for  1776,  Vol. 
I.  p.  229 ;  Sparks's  Writings  of  Washington,  Vol.  III.  p.  157. 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  125 

Dr.  Franklin  invited  me  to  spend  the  winter  in  Phila 
delphia.  I  shall  wish  to  be  there  unless  you  return.  I 
have  been  like  a  nun  in  a  cloister,  ever  since  you  went 
away,  and  have  not  been  into  any  other  house  than  my 
father's  and  sister's,  except  once  to  Colonel  Quincy's.  In 
deed,  I  have  no  inclination  for  company.  My  evenings  are 
lonesome  and  melancholy.  In  the  daytime  family  affairs 
take  off  my  attention,  but  the  evenings  are  spent  with  my 
departed  parent.  I  then  ruminate  upon  all  her  care  and 
tenderness,  and  am  sometimes  lost  and  absorbed  in  a  flood 
of  tenderness  ere  I  am  aware  of  it,  or  can  call  to  my  aid 
my  only  prop  and  support.  I  must  bid  you  adieu  ;  't  is  late 
at  night.  Most  affectionately  yours. 

79.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

27  November,  1775. 

COLONEL  WARREN  returned  last  week  to  Plymouth,  so 
that  I  shall  not  hear  anything  from  you  until  he  goes  back 
again,  which  will  not  be  till  the  last  of  this  month.  He 
damped  my  spirits  greatly  by  telling  me  that  the  Court l 
had  prolonged  your  stay  another  month.  I  was  pleasing 
myself  with  the  thought  that  you  would  soon  be  upon  your 
return.  It  is  in  vain  to  repine.  I  hope  the  public  will, 
reap  what  I  sacrifice. 

I  wish  I  knew  what  mighty  things  were  fabricating.     If      • 
a  form  of  government  is  to  be  established  here,  what  one 
will  be  assumed?     Will  it  be  left  to  our  Assemblies  to       ; 
choose  one  ?     And  will  not  many  men  have  many  minds  ?     / 
And  shall  we  not  run  into  dissensions  among  ourselves  ? 

I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  man  is  a  dangerous 
creature ;  and  that  power,  whether  vested  in  many  or  a 
few,  is  ever  grasping,  and,  like  the  grave,  cries,  "  Give, 
give  !  "  The  great  fish  swallow  up  the  small ;  and  he  who 
is  most  strenuous  for  the  rights  of  the  people,  when  vested 
with  power,  is  as  eager  after  the  prerogatives  of  govern 
ment.  .  You  tell  me  of  degrees  of  perfection  to  which 
human  nature  is  capable  of  arriving,  and  I  believe  it,  but 
at  the  same  time  lament  that  our  admiration  should  arise 
from  the  scarcity  of  the  instances. 

l  The  legislative  government. 


126  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

The  building  up  a  great  empire,  which  was  only  hinted 
at  by  my  correspondent,  may  now,  I  suppose,  be  realized 
even  by  the  unbelievers.  Yet,  will  not  ten  thousand  diffi 
culties  arise  in  the  formation  of  it  ?  The  reins  of  govern 
ment  have  been  so  long  slackened,  that  I  fear  the  people 
will  not  quietly  submit  to  those  restraints  which  are  nec 
essary  for  the  peace  and  security  of  the  community.  If 
we  separate  from  Britain,  what  code  of  laws  will  be  estab 
lished  ?  How  shall  we  be  governed  so  as  to  retain  our 
liberties  ?  Can  any  government  be  free  which  is  not  ad 
ministered  by  general  stated  laws  ?  Who  shall  frame 
these  laws?  Who  will  give  them  force  and  energy?  It 
is  true,  your  resolutions,  as  a  body,  have  hitherto  had  the 
force  of  laws ;  but  will  they  continue  to  have  ? 

When  I  consider  these  things,  and  the  prejudices  of 
people  in  favor  of  ancient  customs  and  regulations,  I  feel 
anxious  for  the  fate  of  our  monarchy,  or  democracy,  or 
whatever  is  to  take  place.  I  soon  get  lost  in  a  labyrinth 
of  perplexities ;  but,  whatever  occurs,  may  justice  and 
righteousness  be  the  stability  of  our  times,  and  order  arise 
out  of  confusion.  Great  difficulties  may  be  surmounted 
by  patience  and  perseverance. 

I  believe  I  have  tired  you  with  politics.  As  to  news, 
we  have  not  any  at  all.  I  shudder  at  the  approach  of 
winter,  when  I  think  I  am  to  remain  desolate. 

I  must  bid  you  good  night;  'tis  late  for  me,  who  am 
much  of  an  invalid.  I  was  disappointed  last  week  in  re 
ceiving  a  packet  by  the  post,  and,  upon  unsealing  it,  find 
ing  only  four  newspapers.  I  think  you  are  more  cautious 
than  you  need  be.  All  letters,  I  believe,  have  come  safe 
to  hand.  I  have  sixteen  from  you,  and  wish  I  had  as 
many  more.  Adieu.  Yours. 

80.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  3  December,  1775. 

MY  BEST  FRIEND,  —  Yours  of  November  12th 1  is  be 
fore  me.     I  wish  I  could  write  you  every  day,  more  than 
once,  for  although  I  have  a  number  of  friends  and  many 
i  No.  78,  p.  123. 


1775.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  127 

relations  who  are  very  dear  to  me,  yet  all  the  friendship 
I  have  for  others  is  far  unequal  to  that  which  warms  my 
heart  for  you.  The  most  agreeable  time  that  I  spend  here 
is  in  writing  to  you,  and  conversing  with  you,  when  I  am 
alone.  But  the  call  of  friendship  and  of  private  affection 
must  give  place  to  that  of  duty  and  honor.  Even  private 
friendship  and  affections  require  it. 

I  am  obliged,  by  the  nature  of  the  service  I  am  in,  to 
correspond  with  many  gentlemen,  both  of  the  army  and  of 
the  two  houses  of  Assembly,  which  takes  up  much  of  my 
time.  How  I  find  time  to  write  half  the  letters  I  do,  I 
know  not,  for  my  whole  time  seems  engrossed  with  busi 
ness.  The  whole  Congress  is  taken  up,  almost,  in  differ-- 
ent  committees,  from  seven  to  ten  in  the  morning.  From 
ten  to  four  or  sometimes  five,  we  are  in  Congress,  and 
from  six  to  ten  in  committees  again.  I  don't  mention  this 
to  make  you  think  me  a  man  of  importance,  because  it  is 
not  I  alone,1  but  the  whole  Congress  is  thus  employed,  but 
to  apologize  for  not  writing  to  you  oftener. 

Indeed,  I  know  not  what  to  write  that  is  worth  your 
reading.  I  send  you  the  papers,  which  inform  you  of 
what  is  public.  As  to  what  passes  in  Congress,  I  am  tied 
fast  by  my  honor  to  communicate  nothing.  I  hope  the 
Journal  of  the  Session  will  be  published  soon,  and  then 
you  will  see  what  we  have  been  about  in  one  view,  ex 
cepting  what  ought  to  be  excepted.  If  I  could  visit  the 
coffee-houses  in  the  evening,  and  the  coffee-tables  of  the 
ladies  in  the  afternoon,  I  could  entertain  you  with  many 
smart  remarks  upon  dress  and  air,  etc.,  and  give  you  many 
sprightly  conversations,  but  my  fate,  you  know,  is  to  be 
moping  over  books  and  papers  all  the  leisure  time  I  have, 
when  I  have  any. 

I  hope  I  shall  be  excused  from  coming  to  Philadelphia 
again,  at  least  until  other  gentlemen  have  taken  their 
turns.  But  I  never  will  come  here  again  without  you,  if 
I  can  persuade  you  to  come  with  me.  Whom  God  has 
joined  together  ought  not  to  be  put  asunder  so  long,  with 

1  During  his  term  of  service  in  Congress,  he  was  a  member  of  ninety,  and 
chairman  of  twenty-five  committees. 


128  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

their  own  consent.  We  will  bring  master  Johnny  with 
us  ;  you  and  he  shall  have  the  small-pox  here,  and  we  will 
be  as  happy  as  Mr.  Hancock  and  his  lady.  Thank  Abby 
and  John  for  their  letters,  and  kiss  Charles  and  Tom  for 
me.  John  writes  like  a  hero,  glowing  with  ardor  for  his 
country  and  burning  with  indignation  against  her  enemies. 
As  to  coming  home,  I  have  no  thoughts  of  it ;  shall  stay 
here  till  the  year  is  out,  for  what  I  know.  Affairs  are  in 
a  critical  state,  and  important  steps  are  now  taking  every 
day,  so  that  I  could  not  reconcile  it  to  my  own  mind  to  be 
absent  from  this  place  at  present.  Nothing  is  expected 
from  the  Commissioners,  yet  we  are  waiting  for  them  in 
some  respects.  The  Tories  and  timids  pretend  to  expect 
great  things  from  them.  But  the  generality  expect  noth 
ing  but  more  insults  and  affronts.  Privateering  is  li 
censed,  and  the  ports  are  wide  open.  As  soon  as  the  re 
solves  are  printed,  which  will  be  to-morrow,  I  will  send 
them. 

8 1.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  10  December,  1775. 

I  RECEIVED  your  obliging  favor  by  Mrs.  Morgan,  with 
the  papers  and  the  other  articles  you  sent,  which  were 
very  acceptable  to  me,  as  they  are  not  to  be  purchased 
here.  I  shall  be  very  choice  of  them. 

I  have,  according  to  your  desire,  been  upon  a  visit  to 
Mrs.  Morgan,  •  who  keeps  at  Major  Mifflin's.  I  had  re 
ceived  a  message  from  Mrs.  Mifflin  some  time  ago,  desir 
ing  I  would  visit  her.  My  father,  who,  you  know,  is  very 
obliging  in  this  way,  accompanied  me,  and  I  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  drinking  coffee  with  the  Doctor  and  his  lady,  the 
Major  and  his  lady,  and  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  from  New 
York,  a  daughter  of  the  famous  son  of  liberty,  Captain 
Sears ;  Generals  Gates  and  Lee ;  a  Dr.  M'Henry  and  a 
Mr.  Elwyn,  with  many  others  who  were  strangers  to  me. 
I  was  very  politely  entertained,  and  noticed  by  the  gen 
erals  ;  more  especially  General  Lee,  who  was  very  urgent 
with  me  to  tarry  in  town,  and  dine  with  him  and  the  ladies 
present,  at  Hobgoblin  Hall,  but  I  excused  myself.  The 


1775.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  129 

General  was  determined  that  I  should  not  only  be  ac 
quainted  with  him,  but  with  his  companions  too,  and  there 
fore  placed  a  chair  before  me,  into  which  he  ordered  Mr. 
Spada  to  mount  and  present  his  paw  to  me  for  a  better 
acquaintance.  I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  accept  it. 

"  That,  Madam,"  says  he,  "  is  the  dog  which  Mr. has 

rendered  famous." 

I  was  so  little  while  in  company  with  these  persons,  and 
the  company  so  mixed,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
form  any  judgment  of  them.  The  Doctor  appeared  mod 
est,  and  his  lady  affable  and  agreeable.  Major  Mifflin,  you 
know,  I  was  always  an  admirer  of,  as  well  as  of  his  deli 
cate  lady.  I  believe  Philadelphia  must  be  an  unfertile 
soil,  or  it  would  not  produce  so  many  unfruitful  women. 
I  always  conceive  of  these  persons  as  wanting  one  addition 
to  their  happiness  ;  but  in  these  perilous  times,  I  know 
not  whether  it  ought  to  be  considered  as  an  infelicity, 
since  they  are  certainly  freed  from  the  anxiety  every 
parent  must  feel  for  their  rising  offspring. 

I  drank  coffee  one  day  with  General  Sullivan  upon 
Winter  Hill.  He  appears  to  be  a  man  of  sense  and  spirit. 
His  countenance  denotes  him  of  a  warm  constitution,  not 
to  be  very  suddenly  moved,  but,  when  once  roused,  not 
very  easily  lulled,  —  easy  and  social,  —  well  calculated  for 
a  military  station,  as  he  seems  to  be  possessed  of  those 
popular  qualities  necessary  to  attach  men  to  him. 

By  the  way,  I  congratulate  you  upon  our  late  noble  ac 
quisition  of  military  stores.1  It  is  a  most  grand  mortar,  I 
assure  you.  Surely  Heaven  smiles  upon  us,  in  many  re 
spects,  and  we  have  continually  to  speak  of  mercies,  as 
well  as  of  judgments.  I  wish  our  gratitude  may  be  any 
wise  proportionate  to  our  benefits.  I  suppose,  in  Congress, 
you  think  of  everything  relative  to  trade  and  commerce, 
as  well  as  other  things  ;  but,  as  I  have  been  desired  to 
mention  to  you  some  things,  I  shall  not  omit  them.  One 
is,  that  there  may  be  something  done,  in  a  Continental 
way,  with  regard  to  excise  upon  spirituous  liquors,  that 
each  of  the  New  England  colonies  may  be  upon  the  same 
1  The  capture  of  the  brig  Nancy,  by  Captain  Manly. 


130  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  ^December. 

footing ;  whereas  we  formerly  used  to  pay  an  excise,  and 
the  other  colonies  none,  or  very  little,  by  which  means 
they  drew  away  our  trade.  An  excise  is  necessary,  though 
it  may  be  objected  to  byTne  mercantile  interest,  as  a.  too 
\  frequent  use  of  spirits  endangers  the  well-being  of  society. 
Another  article  is,  that  some  method  may  be  devised  to 
keep  among  us  our  goldjand..  silver,  which  are  now  every 
day  shipped  off  to  the  West  Indies  for  molasses,  coffee,  and 
sugar  ;  and  this  I  can  say  of  my  own  knowledge,  that  a 
dollar  in  silver  is  now  become  a  great  rarity,  arid  our 
traders  will  give  you  a  hundred  pounds  of  paper  for 
ninety  of  silver,  or  nearly  that  proportion.  If  any  trade  is 
.allowed  to  the  West  Indies,  would  it  not  be  better  to  carry 
some  commodity  of  our  own  produce  in  exchange  ?  Medi 
cines,  cotton-wool,  and  some  other  articles,  we  are  in  great 
want  of.  Formerly  we  used  to  purchase  cotton-wool  at 
one  shilling,  lawful  money,  per  bag  ;  now  it  is  three,  and 
the  scarcity  of  that  article  distresses  us,  as  it  was  wrought 
up  with  less  trouble  than  any  other  article  of  clothing. 
Flax  is  now  from  a  shilling  to  one  and  sixpence  per  pound, 
sheep's  wool  eighteenpence,  and  linens  not  to  be  had  at 
any  price.  I  cannot  mention  the  article  in  the  English 
goods  way  which  is  not  double  ;  and  in  the  West  India 
molasses  by  retail  I  used  formerly  to  purchase  at  one  and 
eightpence,  now  it  is  two  and  eightpence  ;  rum,  three 
shillings ;  coffee,  one  and  threepence,  and  all  other  things 
in  proportion.  Corn  is  four  shillings  per  bushel  ;  rye,  five  ; 
oats,  three  and  eightpence ;  hay,  five  and  six  shillings 
per  hundred ;  wood,  twenty  shillings  per  cord  ;  but  meat 
of  all  kinds  cheap. 

My  uncle  Quincy  desires  to  be  remembered  to  you  ;  he 
inquired  when  you  talked  of  coming  home.  I  told  him 
you  had  not  fixed  any  time.  He  says,  if  you  don't  come 
soon,  he  would  advise  me  to  procure  another  husband. 
He,1  of  all  persons,  ought  not  to  give  me  such  advice,  I 
told  him,  unless  he  set  a  better  example  himself. 

Be  kind  enough  to  burn   this  letter.     It  is  written  in 

1  Norton  Quincy  lost  his  wife  soon  after  marriage,  and  remained  a  widower 
the  rest  of  his  life. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  131 

great  haste,  and  a  most  incorrect  scrawl  it  is.  But  I  can 
not  conclude  without  telling  you  we  are  all  very  angry 
with  your  House  of  Assembly  for  their  instructions.1  They 
raise  prejudices  in  the  minds  of  people,  arid  serve  to 
create  in  their  minds  a  terror  at  a  separation  from  a  people 
wholly  unworthy  of  us.  We  are  a  little  of  the  spaniel 
kind  ;  though  so  often  spurned,  still  to  fawn  argues  a 
meanness  of  spirit,  that,  as  ari  individual,  I  disclaim,  and 
would  rather  endure  any  hardship  than  submit  to  it. 

Yours. 


82. 

Water-town,  2  24  January,  1776. 

MY  DEAR,  —  I  am  determined  not  to  commit  a  fault 
which  escaped  me  the  last  time  I  set  out  for  the  south 
ward.  I  waited  on  General  Thomas  at  Roxbury,  this 
morning,  and  then  went  to  Cambridge,  where  I  dined  at 
Colonel  Mifflin's  with  the  General  and  lady,  and  a  vast 
collection  of  other  company,  among  whom  were  six  or 
seven  sachems  and  warriors  of  the  French  Caghnawaga 
Indians  with  several  of  their  wives  and  children.  A  savage 
feast  they  made  of  it,  yet  were  very  polite  in  the  Indian 
style.  One  of  these  sachems  is  an  Englishman,  a  native 
of  this  colony,  whose  name  was  Williams,  captivated  in  in 
fancy  with  his  mother,  and  adopted  by  some  kind  squaw  ; 
another,  I  think,  is  half  French  blood. 

I  was  introduced  to  them  by  the  General,  as  one  of  the 
grand  council  fire  at  Philadelphia,  which  made  them  prick 
up  their  ears.  They  came  and  shook  hands  with  me,  and 
made  me  low  bows  and  scrapes,  etc.  In  short,  I  was  much 
pleased  with  this  day's  entertainment. 

The  General  is  to  make  them  presents  in  clothes  and 
irinkets.  They  have  visited  the  lines  at  Cambridge,  and 
are  going  to  see  those  at  Roxbury. 

To-morrow  we  mount  for  the  grand  council  fire,  where 

1  In  answer  to  the  applications  of  New  Hampshire  for  advice  as  to  institut 
ing  a  government. 

2  This  was  upon  Mr.  Adams's  departure  from  home  to  join  the  Congress  for 
the  third  time. 


132  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

I  shall  think  often  of  my  little  brood  at  the  foot  of  Penn's 
Hill.  Remember  me  particularly  to  each  of  the  children. 
Tell  them  I  charge  them  to  be  good,  honest,  active,  and  in 
dustrious,  for  their  own  sakes  as  well  as  ours. 

83.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  11  February,  1776. 

HERE  I  am  again.  Arrived  last  Thursday,  in  good 
health,  although  I  had  a  cold  journey.  The  weather,  a 
great  part  of  the  way,  was  very  severe,  which  prevented 
our  making  very  quick  progress.  My  companion  l  was 
agreeable  and  made  the  journey  much  less  tedious  than  it 
would  have  been. 

I  can  form  no  judgment  of  the  state  of  public  opinions 
and  principles  here,  as  yet,  nor  any  conjectures  of  what  an 
hour  may  bring  forth. 

Have  been  to  meeting,  and  heard  Mr.  Duffield  from 
Jeremiah  ii.  17  :  ."  Hast  thou  not  procured  this  unto  thy 
self,  in  that  thou  hast  forsaken  the  Lord  thy  God,  when  He 
led  thee  by  the  way  ?  "  He  prayed  very  earnestly  for  Bos 
ton  and  New  York,  supposing  the  latter  to  be  in  danger 
of  destruction.  I,  however,  am  not  convinced  that  Vande- 
put  will  fire  upon  that  town.  It  has  too  much  Tory 
property  to  be  destroyed  by  Tories.  I  hope  it  will  be 
fortified  and  saved.  If  not,  the  question  may  be  asked, 
"  Hast  thou  not  procured  this  ?  "  etc. 

To-morrow  Dr.  Smith  is  to  deliver  an  oration  in  honor 
of  the  brave  Montgomery.  I  will  send  it,  as  soon  as  it  is 
out,  to  you.  There  is  a  deep  anxiety,  a  kind  of  thought 
ful  melancholy,  and  in  some,  a  lowness  of  spirits  approach 
ing  to  despondency,  prevailing  through  the  southern  colo 
nies,  at  present,  very  similar  to  what  I  have  often  observed 
in  Boston,  particularly  on  the  first  news  of  the  Port  Bill, 
and  last  year  about  this  time,  or  a  little  later,  when  the  bad 
news  arrived  which  dashed  their  fond  hopes,  with  which 
they  had  deluded  themselves  through  the  winter.  In  this  or  a 
similar  condition  we  shall  remain,  I  think,  until  late  in  the 

1  Elbridge  Gerry,  who  had  been  chosen  a  delegate  in  the  place  of  Thomas 
Gushing,  who  had  retired. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  133 

spring,  when  some  critical  event  will  take  place,  perhaps 
sooner.  But  the  arbiter  of  events,  the  sovereign  of  the 
world,  only  knows  which  way  the  torrent  will  be  turned. 
Judging  by  experience,  by  probabilities,  and  by  all  appear 
ances,  I  conclude  it  will  roll  on  to  dominion  and  glory, 
though  the  circumstances  and  consequences  may  be  bloody. 
In  such  great  changes  and  commotions,  individuals  are 
but  atoms.  It  is  scarcely  worth  while  to  consider  what  the 
consequences  will  be  to  us.  What  will  be  the  effects  upon 
present  and  future  millions,  and  millions  of  millions,  is  a 
question  very  interesting  to  benevolence,  natural  and  Chris 
tian.  God  grant  they  may,  and  I  firmly  believe  they  will, 
be  happy. 

84.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

'    Philadelphia,    February,  1776. 

LEE  is  at  York,  and  we  have  requested  a  battalion  of 
Philadelphia  associators,  together  with  a  regiment  of  Jersey 
minute-men,  to  march  to  his  assistance.  Lord  Stirling  was 
there  before  with  his  regiment,  so  that  there  will  be  about 
a  thousand  men  with  Lee  from  Connecticut,  about  six  hun 
dred  with  Lord  Stirling  from  the  Jerseys,  one  battalion  of 
about  seven  hundred  and  twenty  minute-men  from  Jersey, 
and  one  of  the  same  number  from  Philadelphia.  We  shall 
soon  have  four  battalions  more,  raised  in  Pennsylvania,  to 
march  to  the  same  place,  and  one  more  in  the  Jerseys. 
Mr.  Dickinson,  being  the  first  Colonel  and  commander  of 
the  first  battalion  too,  claimed  it  as  his  right  to  march  upon 
this  occasion.  -  Mr.  Reed,  formerly  General  Washington's 
secretary,  goes  his  lieutenant-colonel.  Mr.  Dickinson's 
alacrity  and  spirit  upon  this  occasion,  which  certainly  be 
comes  his  character  and  sets  a  fine  example,  is  much  talked 
of  and  applauded.  This  afternoon,  the  four  battalions  of 
the  militia  were  together,  and  Mr.  Dickinson  mounted  the 
rostrum  to  harangue  them,  which  he  did  with  great  vehe 
mence  and  pathos,  as  it  is  reported. 

I  suppose,  if  I  could  have  made  interest  enough  to  have 
been  chosen  more  than  a  lieutenant,  I  should  march  too, 
upon  some  such  emergency  ;  and  possibly  a  contingency 


134  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

may  happen  when  it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  do  it  still,  in 
rank  and  file.  I  will  not  fail  to  march,  if  it  should.  In 
the  beginning  of  a  war,  in  colonies  like  this  and  Virginia, 
where  the  martial  spirit  is  but  just  awakened  and  the 
people  are  unaccustomed  to  arms,  it  may  be  proper  and 
necessary  for  such  popular  orators  as  Henry  and  Dickinson 
to  assume  a  military  character.  But  I  really  think  them 
both  better  statesmen  than  soldiers,1  though  I  cannot  say 
they  are  not  very  good  in  the  latter  character.  Henry's 
principles  and  systems  are  much  more  conformable  to  mine 
than  the  other's,  however. 

I  feel,  upon  some  of  these  occasions,  a  flow  of  spirits  and 
an  effort  of  imagination,  very  like  an  ambition  to  be  en 
gaged  in  the  more  active,  gay,  and  dangerous  scenes ; 
(dangerous,  I  say,  but  recall  that  word,  for  there  is  no 
course  more  dangerous  than  that  which  I  am  in.)  I  have 
felt  such  passions  all  my  lifetime,  particularly  in  the  year 
1757,  when  I  longed  more  ardently  to  be  a  soldier  than  I 
ever  did  to  be  a  lawyer.  But  I  am  too  old,  and  too  much 
worn  with  fatigues  of  study  in  my  youth,  and  there  is  too 
little  need,  in  my  province,  of  such  assistance,  for  me  to 
assume  a  uniform. 

"  Non  tali  auxilio,  nee  defensoribus  istis 
Tempus  eget." 

I  believe  I  must  write  you  soon  Lord  Stirling's  character, 
because  I  was  vastly  pleased  with  him.  For  the  future  I 
shall  draw  no  characters  but  such  as  I  like.  Pimps  de 
stroy  all  freedom  of  correspondence. 

85.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  18  February. 

I  SENT  you  from  New  York  a  pamphlet  intituled  "  Com 
mon  Sense,"  written  in  ^vindication  of  doctrines  which  there 
is  reason  to  expect  that  theT  further  encroachments  of 
tyranny  and  depredations  ^of  oppression  will  soon  make  the 
common  faith  ;  unless  the  cunning  ministry,  by  proposing 
negotiations  and  terms  of  reconciliation,  should  divert  the 
present  current  from  its  channel. 

1  Washington  passed  the  same  judgment  on  Henry,  in  a  letter  to  Joseph 
Reed,  of  nearly  the  same  date. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  135 

Reconciliation  if  practicable,  and  peace  if  attainable,  you 
very  well  know,  would  be  as  agreeable  to  my  inclinations, 
and  as  advantageous  to  my  interest,  as  to  any  man's.  But 
I  see  no  prospect,  no  probability,  no  possibility.  And  I 
cannot  but  despise  the  understanding  which  sincerely  ex 
pects  an  honorable  peace,  for  its  credulity,  and  detest  the 
hypocritical  heart  which  pretends  to  expect  it,  when  in 
truth  it  does  not.  The  newspapers  here  are  full  of  free 
speculations,  the  tendency  of  which  you  will  easily  dis 
cover.  The  writers  reason  from  tonics  which  have  been 
long  in  contemplation  and  fully  understood  by  the  people 
at  large  in  New  England,  but  have  been  attended  to  in  the 
southern  colonies  only  by  gentlemen  of  free  spirits  and 
liberal  minds,  who  are  very  few.  I  shall  endeavor  to  in 
close  to  you  as  many  of  the  papers  and  pamphlets  as  I 
can,  as  long  as  I  stay  here.  Some  will  go  by  this  convey 
ance. 

Dr.  Franklin,  Mr.  Chase,  and  Mr.  Charles  Carroll  of 
Carrollton,  in  Maryland,  are  chosen  a  committee  to  go  into 
Canada.  The  characters  of  the  two  first  you  know.  The 
last  is  riot  a  member  of  Congress,  but  a  gentleman  of  inde 
pendent  fortune,  perhaps  the  largest  in  America,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred  thousand  "pounds  sterling  ;  educated 
in  some  university  in  France,  though  a  native  of  America, 
of  great  abilities  and  learning,  complete  master  of  the 
French  language,  and  a  professor  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion,  yet  a  warm,  a  firm,  a  zealous  supporter  of  the  rights 
of  America,  in  whose  cause  he  has  hazarded  his  all.  Mr. 
John  Carroll,  of  Marylandf  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  and  a 
Jesuit,  is  to  go  with  the  committee,  the  priests  in  Canada 
having  refused  baptism  and  absolution  to  our  friends  there. 
General  Lee  is  to  command  in  that  country,  whose  address, 
experience,  and  abilities,  added  to  his  fluency  in  the  French 
language,  will  give  him  great  advantages. 

The  events  of  war  are  uncertain.  We  cannot  insure 
success,  but  we  can  deserve  it.  I  am  happy  in  this  provis 
ion  for  that  important  department,  because  I  think  it  the 
best  that  could  be  made  in  our  circumstances.  Your  pru 
dence  will  direct  you  to  communicate  the  circumstances  of 


136  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

the  priest,  the  Jesuit,  and  the  Romish  religion,  only  to  such 
persons  as  can  judge  of  the  measure  upon  large  and  gener 
ous  principles,  and  will  not  indiscreetly  divulge  it.  The 
step  was  necessary,  for  the  anathemas  of  the  Church  are 
very  terrible  to  our  friends  in  Canada. 

I  wish  I  understood  French  as  well  as  you.  I  would 
have  gone  to  Canada,  if  I  had.  I  feel  the  want  of  educa 
tion  every  day,  particularly  of  that  language.  I  pray,  my 
dear,  that  you  would  not  suffer  your  sons  or  your  daughter 
ever  to  feel  a  similar  pain.  It  is  in  your  power  to  teach 
them  French,  and  I  every  day  see  more  and  more  that  it 
will  become  a  necessary  accomplishment  of  an  American 
gentleman  orhidy.  Pray  write  me  in  your  next  the  name  of 
the  author  of  your  thin  French  grammar,  which  gives  you  the 
pronunciation  of  the  French  words  in  English  letters,  that 
is,  which  shows  you  how  the  same  sounds  would  be  signi 
fied  by  English  vowels  and  consonants. 

Write  me  as  often  as  you  can.  Tell  me  all  the  news. 
Desire  the  children  to  write  to  me,  and  believe  me  to  be 
theirs  and  yours. 

86.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Saturday  Evening,  2  March,  1776. 

I  WAS  greatly  rejoiced  at  the  return  of  your  servant,  to 
find  you  had  safely  arrived,  and  that  you  were  well.  I  had 
never  heard  a  word  from  you  after  you  had  left  New  York, 
and  a  most  ridiculous  story  had  been  industriously  propa 
gated  in  this  and  the  neighboring  towns  to  injure  the  cause 
and  blast  your  reputation ;  namely,  that  you  and  your 
President 1  had  gone  on  board  of  a  man-of-war  from  New 
York,  and  sailed  for  England.  I  should  not  mention  so 
idle  a  report,  but  that  it  had  given  uneasiness  to  some  of 
jour  friends ;  not  that  they  in  the  least  credited  the  re 
port,  but  because  the  gaping  vulgar  swallowed  the  story. 
-One  man  had  deserted  them  and  proved  a  traitor,  another 
might,  etc.  I  assure  you,  such  high  disputes  took  place  in 
.the  public-house  of  this  parish,  that  some  men  were  collared 

1  Hancock.  I  find  no  traces  of  this  report,  which  was  probably  set  in  mo- 
'.tion  by  the  loyalists,  after  the  exposure  of  Dr.  Church. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  137 

aDd  dragged  out  of  the  shop  with  great  threats,  for  reporting 
such  scandalous  lies,  and  an  uncle  of  ours  offered  his  life  as 
a  forfeit  for  you,  if  the  report  proved  true.  However,  it  has 
been  a  nine  days'  marvel,  and  will  now  cease.  I  heartily 
wish  every  Tory  was  extirpated  from  America  ;  they  are 
continually,  by  secret  means,  undermining  and  injuring  our 
cause. 

I  am  charmed  with  the  sentiments  of  "  Common  Sense," 
and  wonder  how  an  honest  heart,  one  who  wishes  the  wel 
fare  of  his  country  and  the  happiness  of  posterity,  can  hes 
itate  one  moment  at  adopting  them.     I  want  to  know  how  j 
these  sentiments  are  received    in   Congress.     I    dare  say  / 
there  would   be   no  difficulty  in  procuring   a  vote   and  in-  j 
structions  from  all  the  Assemblies  in  New  England  for  In-  | 
dependency.     I  most  sincerely  wish  that  now,  in  the  lucky 
moment^  it  might  be  done. 

I  have  been  kept  in  a  continual  state  of  anxiety  and  ex 
pectation  ever  since  you  left  me.  It  has  been  said  "  to 
morrow  "  and  "  to-morrow,"  for  this  month,  but  when  the 
dreadful  to-morrow  will  be,  I  know  not.  But  hark  !  The 
house  this  instant  shakes  with  the  roar  of  cannon.  I  have 
been  to  the  door,  and  find  it  is  a  cannonade  from  our  army.1 
Orders,  I  find,  are  come  for  all  the  remaining  militia  to 
repair  to  the  lines  Monday  night  by  twelve  o'clock.  No 
sleep  for  me  to-night.  And  if  I  cannot,  who  have  no  guilt 
upon  my  soul  with  regard  to  this  cause,  how  shall  the 
miserable  wretches  who  have  been  the  procurers  of  this 
dreadful  scene,  and  those  who  are  to  be  the  actors,  lie 
down  with  the  load  of  guilt  upon  their  souls  ? 

Sunday  Evening,  3  March. 

I  went  to  bed  after  twelve,  but  got  no  rest;  the  cannon 
continued  firing,  and  my  heart  beat  pace  with  them  all 
night.  We  have  had  a  pretty  quiet  day,  but  what  to-mor 
row  will  bring  forth,  God  only  knows. 

i  »  In  order  to  divert  the  enemy's  attention,  we  began  on  Saturday  night  a 
cannonade  and  bombardment,  which  with  intervals  was  continued  through  the 
night;  the  same  on  Sunday,  and  on  Monday  a  continued  roar  from  seven 
o'clock  till  daylight  was  kept  up  between  the  enemy  and  us."  (Washington  to 
Reed.  7th  of  March.) 


138  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

Monday  Evening. 

Tolerably  quiet.  To-day  the  militia  have  all  mustered, 
with  three  days'  provision,  and  are  all  marched  by  three 
o'clock  this  afternoon,  though  their  notice  was  no  longer 
ago  than  eight  o'clock,  Saturday.  And  now  we  have 
scarcely  a  man,  but  our  regular  guards,  either  in  Wey- 
mouth,  Hingham,  Braintree,  or  Milton,  and  the  militia 
from  the  more  remote  towns  are  called  in  as  seacoast 
guards.  Can  you  form  to  yourself  an  idea  of  our  sensa 
tions  ? 

/  I  have  just  returned  from  Penn's  hill,  where  I  have 
been  sitting  to  hear  the  amazing  roar  of  cannon,  and  from 
whence  I  could  see  every  shell  which  was  thrown.  The 
sound,  I  think,  is  one  of  the  grandest  in  nature,  and  is  of 
the  true  species  of  the  sublime.  'Tis  now  an  incessant 
roar ;  but  oh !  the  fatal  ideas  which  are  connected  with 
the  sound !  How  many  of  our  dear  countrymen  must  fall ! 

Tuesday  Morning. 

I  went  to  bed  about  twelve,  and  rose  again  a  little  after 
one.  I  could  no  more  sleep  than  if  I  had  been  in  the 
engagement ;  the  rattling  of  the  windows,  the  jar  of  the 
house,  the  continual  roar  of  twenty-four  pounders,  and  the 
bursting  of  shells,  give  us  such  ideas,  and  realize  a  scene 
to  us  of  which  we  could  form  scarcely  any  conception. 
About  six,  this  morning,  there  was  quiet.  I  rejoiced  in  a 
few  hours'  calm.  I  hear  we  got  possession  of  Dorchester 
Hill  last  night ;  four  thousand  men  upon  it  to-day ;  lost 
but  one  man.  The  ships  are  all  drawn  round  the  town. 
To-night  we  shall  realize  a  more  terrible  scene  still.  I 
sometimes  think  I  cannot  stand  it.  I  wish  myself  with 
you,  out  of  hearing,  as  I  cannot  assist  them,  i  hope  to 
give  you  joy  of  Boston,  even  if  it  is  in  ruins,  before  I  send 
this  away.  I  am  too  much  agitated  to  write  as  I  ought, 
and  languid  for  want  of  rest. 

Thursday,  Fast-day. 

All  my  anxiety  and  distress  is  at  present  at  an  end.  I 
feel  disappointed.  This  day  our  militia  are  all  returning, 
without  effecting  anything  more  than  taking  possession  of 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  139 

Dorchester  Hill.  I  hope  it  is  wise  and  just,  but,  from  all 
the  muster  and  stir,  I  hoped  and  expected  more  important 
and  decisive  scenes.  I  would  not  have  suffered  all  I  have 
for  two  such  hills.  Ever  since  the  taking  of  that,  we  have 
had  a  perfect  calm  ;  nor  can  I  learn  yet  what  effect  it  has 
had  in  Boston.  I  do  not  hear  of  one  person's  escaping 
since. 

I  was  very  much  pleased  with  your  choice  of  a  com 
mittee  for  Canada.  All  those  to  whom  I  have  ventured 
to  show  that  part  of  your  letter,  approve  the  scheme  of 
the  priest  as  a  master-stroke  of  policy.  I  feel  sorry  that 
General  Lee  has  left  us,  but  his  presence  at  New  York 
was  no  doubt  of  great  importance,  as  we  have  reason  to 
think  it  prevented  Clinton  from  landing  and  gathering  to 
gether  such  a  nest  of  vermin  as  would  at  least  have  dis 
tressed  us  greatly.  But  how  can  you  spare  him  from  here  ? 
Can  you  make  his  place  good  ?  Can  you  supply  it  with  a 
man  equally  qualified  to  save  us  ?  How  do  the  Virginians 
relish  the  troops  said  to  be  destined  for  them  ?  Are  they 
putting  themselves  into  a  state  of  defense  ?  I  inclose  to 
you  a  copy  of  a  letter  sent  by  Captain  Furnance,  who  is  in 
Mr.  Ned  Church's  employ,  and  who  came  into  the  Cape 
about  ten  days  ago.  You  will  learn  the  sentiments  of  our 
cousin  by  it.  Some  of  which  may  be  true,  but  I  hope  he 
is  a  much  better  divine  than  politician.  I  hear  that  in  one 
of  his  letters  he  mentions  certain  intercepted  letters  which 
he  says  have  made  much  noise  in  England,  and  laments 
that  you  ever  wrote  them.  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  your 
continuing  in  a  state  of  supineness  this  winter. 

"  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 
Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune; 
Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life 
Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries. 
On  such  a  full  sea  are  we  now  afloat; 
And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 
Or  lose  our  ventures." 

Sunday  Evening,  10  March. 

I  had  scarcely  finished  these  lines  when  my  ears  were 
again  assaulted  by  the  roar  of  cannon.  I  could  not  write 
any  further.  My  hand  and  heart  will  tremble  at  this 


140  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

"  domestic  fury  and  fierce  civil  strife,"  which  "  cumber  all  " 
our  "parts;"  though  "blood  and  destruction"  are  "so 
much  in  use,"  "  and  dreadful  objects  so  familiar,"  yet  is  not 
"  pity  choked,"  nor  my  heart  grown  callous.  I  feel  for  the 
unhappy  wretches  who  know  not  where  to  fly  for  safety. 
I  feel  still  more  for  my  bleeding  countrymen,  who  are  haz 
arding  their  lives  and  their  limbs.  A  most  terrible  and 
incessant  cannonade  from  half  after  eight  till  six  tids  morn 
ing.  I  hear  we  lost  four  men  killed,  and  some  wounded,  in 
attempting  to  take  the  hill  nearest  the  town,  called  Nook's 
Hill.  We  did  some  work,  but  the  fire  from  the  ships  beat 
off  our  men,  so  that  they  did  not  secure  it,  but  retired  to 
the  fort  upon  the  other  hill. 

I  have  not  got  all  the  particulars  ;  I  wish  I  had  ;  but, 
as  I  have  an  opportunity  of  sending  this,  I  shall  endeavor 
to  be  more  particular  in  my  next. 

If  there  are  reinforcements  here,  I  believe  we  shall  be 
driven  from  the  seacoast ;  but,  in  whatever  state  I  am,  I 
will  endeavor  to  be  therewith  content. 

"  Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 
Nor  wants  that  little  long." 

You  will  excuse  this  very  incorrect  letter.  You  see  in 
what  perturbation  it  has  been  written,  and  how  many  times 
I  have  left  off.  Adieu.  Yours. 

P.  S.     Took's  grammar  is  the  one  you  mention. 

87.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

B e,  16  March,  1776. 

I  LAST  evening  received  yours  of  March  8.1  I  was  in 
continual  expectation  that  some  important  event  would  take 
place  to  give  me  a  subject  worth  writing  upon.  Before 
this  reaches  you,  I  imagine  you  will  have  received  two  let 
ters  from  me  ;  the  last  I  closed  this  day  week.  Since  that 
time  there  have  been  some  movements  amongst  the  minis 
terial  troops,  as  if  they  meant  to  evacuate  the  town  of  Bos 
ton.  Between  seventy  and  eighty  vessels  of  various  sizes 
are  gone  down,  and  lie  in  a  row  in  fair  sight  of  this  place, 
all  of  which  appear  to  be  loaded  ;  and  by  what  can  be  col- 
i  This  letter  has  not  been  preserved. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  141 

lected  from  our  own  observations,  and  from  deserters,  they 
have  been  plundering  the  town.  I  have  been  very  faith 
less  with  regard  to  their  quitting  Boston,  and  know  not 
how  to  account  for  it ;  nor  am  I  yet  satisfied  that  they  will 
leave  it,  though  it  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  opinion  of 
most  people.  ^ 

We  are  obliged  to  place  the  militia  upon  guard  every 
night  upon  the  shores,  through  fear  of  an  invasion.  There 
has  been  no  firing  since  last  Tuesday  till  about  twelve 
o'clock  last  night,  when  I  was  waked  out  of  my  sleep  with 
a  smart  cannonade,  which  continued  till  nine  o'clock  this 
morning,  and  prevented  any  further  repose  for  me.  The 
occasion  I  have  not  yet  heard  ;  but  before  I  close  this  letter 
I  may  be  able  to  give  you  some  account  of  it. 

By  the  accounts  in  the  public  papers,  the  plot  thickens, 
and  some  very  important  crisis  seems  near  at  hand.  Per 
haps  Providence  sees  it  necessary,  in  order  to  answer  im 
portant  ends  and  designs,  that  the  seat  of  war  should  be 
changed  from  this  to  the  southern  colonies,  that  each  may 
have  a  proper  sympathy  with  the  other,  and  unite  in  a 
separation.  The  refuge  of  the  believer,  amidst  all  the  af 
flictive  dispensations  of  Providence,  is  that  the  Lord  reign- 
eth,  and  that  He  can  restrain  the  arm  of  man. 

Orders  are  given  to  our  army  to  hold  themselves  in  read 
iness  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning.  "  I  '11  meet  you  at 
Philippi,"  said  the  ghost  of  Caesar  to  Brutus. 

Sunday  Noon. 

Being  quite  sick  with  a  violent  cold,  I  have  tarried  at 
home  to-day.  I  find  the  firing  was  occasioned  by  our 
people's  taking  possession  of  Nook's  Hill,  which  they  kept 
in  spite  of  the  cannonade,  and  which  has  really  obliged  our 
enemy  to  decamp  this  morning  on  board  the  transports,  as 
I  hear  by  a  messenger  just  come  from  headquarters.  Some 
of  the  selectmen  have  been  to  the  lines,  and  inform  that 
they  have  carried  away  everything  they  could  possibly 
take  ;  and  what  they  could  not,  they  have  burnt,  broke,  or 
hove  into  the  water.  This  is,  I  believe,  fact ;  many  arti 
cles  of  good  household  furniture  having  in  the  course  of  the 


142  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

week  come  on  shore  at  Great  Hill,  both  upon  this  and 
Weymouth  side,  —  lids  of  desks,  mahogany  chairs,  tables, 
etc.  Our  people,  I  hear,  will  have  liberty  to  enter  Boston, 
—  those  who  have  had  the  small-pox. 

The  enemy  have  not  yet  come  under  sail.  I  cannot 
help  suspecting  some  design,  which  we  do  not  yet  compre 
hend.  To  what  quarter  of  the  world  they  are  bound  is 
wholly  unknown  ;  but  't  is  generally  thought  to  New  York, 
Many  people  are  elated  with  their  quitting  Boston.  I 
confess  I  do  not  feel  so.  'T  is  only  lifting  the  burden  from 
one  shoulder  to  the  other,  which  is  perhaps  less  able  or 
less  willing  to  support  it.  To  what  a  contemptible  situa 
tion  are  the  troops  of  Britain  reduced  !  I  feel  glad,  how 
ever,  that  Boston  is  not  destroyed.  I  hope  it  will  be  so 
secured  and  guarded  as  to  baffle  all  future  attempts  against 
it.  I  hear  that  General  Howe  said,  upon  going  on  some 
eminence  in  town  to  view  our  troops,  who  had  taken  Dor 
chester  Hill,  unperceived  by  them  till  sunrise,  "  My  God ! 
these  fellows  have  done  more  work  in  one  night  than  I 
could  make  my  army  do  in  three  months."  And  he  might 
well  say  so ;  for  in  one  night  two  forts  and  long  breast 
works  were  sprung  up,  besides  several  barracks.  Three 
hundred  and  seventy  teams  were  employed,  most  of  which 
went  three  loads  in  the  night,  besides  four  thousand  men, 
who  worked  with  good  hearts. 

From  Penn's  Hill  we  have  a  view  of  the  largest  fleet 
ever  seen  in  America.  You  may  count  upwards  of  a  hun 
dred  and  seventy  sail.  They  look  like  a  forest.  It  was 
very  lucky  for  us  that  we  got  possession  of  Nook's  Hill. 
They  had  placed  their  cannon  so  as  to  fire  upon  the  top  of 
the  hill,  where  they  had  observed  our  people  marking  out 
the  ground  ;  but  it  was  only  to  elude  them  ;  for  they  began 
lower  upon  the  hill  and  nearer  the  town.  It  was  a  very 
dark,  foggy  evening,  and  they  had  possession  of  the  hill 
six  hours  before  a  gun  was  fired ;  and  when  they  did  fire, 
they  overshot  our  people,  so  that  they  were  covered  be 
fore  morning,  and  not  one  man  lost,  which  the  enemy  no 
sooner  discovered,  than  Bunker  Hill  was  abandoned,  and 
every  man  decamped  as  soon  as  he  could.  They  found 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  143 

they  should  not  be  able  to  get  away  if  we  once  got  our 
cannon  mounted.  Our  General  may  say  with  Ccesar,  "  Ve- 
ni,  vidi,  vici" 

What  effect  does  the  expectation  of  Commissioners  have 
with  you  ?  Are  they  held  in  disdain  as  they  are  here  ? 
It  is  come  to  that  pass  now,  that  the  longest  sword  must 
decide  the  contest ;  and  the  sword  is  less  dreaded  here  than 
the  Commissioners. 

You  mention   threats  upon  B d.     I  know  of  none, 

nor  ever  heard  of  any  till  you  mentioned  them.  The  To 
ries  look  a  little  crestfallen.  As  for  Cleverly,  he  looks  like 
the  knight  of  the  woful  countenance.  I  hear  all  the  mongrel 
breed  are  left  in  Boston,  and  our  people  who  were  prison 
ers 'are  put  in  irons  and  carried  off. 

I  made  a  mistake  in  the  name  of  the  grammar.  It  is 
Jaudon's  instead  of  Took's.  I  wish  you  could  purchase 
Lord  Chesterfield's  Letters.  I  have  lately  heard  them  very 
highly  spoken  of.  I  smiled  at  your  couplet  of  Latin.  Your 
daughter  may  be  able  in  time  to  construe  it,  as  she  has 
already  made  some  considerable  proficiency  iii  her  acci 
dence  ;  but  her  mamma  was  obliged  to  get  it  translated. 
Pray  write  Lord  Stirling's  character. 

I  want  to  know  whether  you  live  in  any  harmony  with 

,  and  how  you  settled  matters.     I  think  he  seems  in 

better  humor.1 

I  think  I  do  not  admire  the  speech  from  the  rostrum.1 
'T  is  a  heavy,  inelegant,  verbose  performance,  and  did  not 
strike  my  fancy  at  all.  I  am  very  saucy,  I  suppose  you 
will  say.  'T  is  a  liberty  I  take  with  you.  Indulgence  is  apt 
to  spoil  one.  Adieu. 

P.  S.  Pray  convey  me  a  little  paper.  I  have  but 
enough  for  one  letter  more. 

Monday  Moruing. 

A  fine,  quiet  night.  No  alarms  —  no  cannon.  The 
more  I  think  of  our  enemies  quitting  Boston,  the  more 

1  It  is  difficult  to  understand  these  allusions.  Probably  the  first  refers  to 
R.  T.  Paine,  who  bore  no  good-will  to  Mr.  Adams;  the  second,  to  a  funeral 
oration  on  the  death  of  General  Montgomery,  just  delivered  before  the  Congress 
by  Dr.  Smith,  Provost  of  the  college  at  Philadelphia. 


144  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

amazed  I  am  that  they  should  leave  such  a  harbor,  such 
fortifications,  such  intrenchments,  and  that  we  should  be  in 
peaceable  possession  of  a  town  which  we  expected  would 
cost  us  a  river  of  blood,  without  one  drop  shed.  Surely  it 
is  the  Lord's  doings,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes. 
Every  foot  of  ground  which  they  obtain  now  they  must 
fight  for,  and  may  they  purchase  it  at  a  Bunker  Hill  price. 

88.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^•''Philadelphia,  17  March,  1T7G. 

OUR  worthy  friend,  Frank  Dana,  arrived  here  last  even 
ing  from  New  York,  to  which  place  he  came  lately  from 
England  in  the  packet.  In  company  with  him  is  a  gentle 
man  by  the  name  of  Wrixon,  who  has  been  a  field-officer 
in  the  British  army,  served  all  the  last  war  in  Germany, 
and  has  seen  service  in  every  part  of  Europe.  He  left 
the  army  some  time  ago,  and  studied  law  in  the  Temple, 
in  which  science  he  made  a  great  proficiency.  He  wrote, 
lately,  a  pamphlet  under  the  title  of  "  The  Rights  of  Brit 
ons,"  which  he  has  brought  over  with  him.  He  is  a  friend 
of  liberty,  and  thinks  justly  of  the  American  question. 
He  has  great  abilities,  as  well  as  experience  in  the  mili 
tary  science,  and  is  an  able  engineer.  I  hope  we  shall  em 
ploy  him. 

The  Baron  de  Woedtke  we  have  made  a  Brigadier- 
general,  and  ordered  him  to  Canada.  The  testimonials  in 
his  favor  I  shall  inclose  to  you.1  Mr.  Dana's  account,  with 
which  Mr.  Wrixon's  agrees,  ought  to  extinguish,  in  every 
mind,  all  hopes  of  reconciliation  with  Great  Britain.  This 
delusive  hope  has  done  us  great  injuries,  and,  if  ever  we 
are  ruined,  will  be  the  cause  of  our  fall.  A  hankering 
after  the  leeks  of  Egypt  makes  us  forget  the  cruelty  of  her 
task-masters. 

I  shall  suffer  many  severe  pains  on  your  account  for 
some  days.  By  a  vessel  from  Salem  a  cannonade  was 

1  Neither  Major  "Wrixon  nor  the  Baron  de  Woedtke  fulfilled  the  hopes 
formed  of  them.  The  former  declined  his  appointment,  the  rank  of  colonel 
not  being  equal  to  his  expectations.  The  latter  proved  intemperate  and  was 
soon  afterwards  drowned  at  Lake  George. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  145 

heard  from  dark  till  nine  o'clock,  last  night  was  a  week 
ago.  Your  vicinity  to  such  scenes  of  carnage  and  desola 
tion  as,  I  fear,  are  now  to  be  seen  in  Boston  and  its  envi 
rons,  will  throw  you  into  much  distress,  but  I  believe  in 
my  conscience,  I  feel  more  here  than  you  do.  The  sound 
of  cannon  was  not  so  terrible  when  I  was  at  Braintree 
as  it  is  here,  though  I  hear  it  at  four  hundred  miles  dis 
tance. 

You  can't  imagine  what  a  mortification  I  sustain  in  not 
having  received  a  single  line  from  you  since  we  parted.  I 
suspect  some  villainy  in  conveyance.  By  the  relation  of 
Mr.  Dana,  Mr.  Wrixon,  and  Mr.  Temple,  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
Mr.  Sewall,  and  their  associates  are  in  great  disgrace  in 
England.  Persons  are  ashamed  to  be  seen  to  speak  to 
them.  They  look  despised  and  sunk. 

I  shall  inclose  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Mons.  Du- 
bourg  in  Paris,  and  a  testimonial  in  favor  of  our  Prussian 
General.  Adieu. 

89.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  19    March. 

YESTERDAY  I  had  the  long,  expected  and  much  wished 
pleasure  of  a  letter  from  you,  of  various  dates  from  the  2d 
to  the.lOih.Ma-rch.  This  is  the  first  line  I  have  received 
since  I  left  you.  I  wrote  you  from  Watertown,  I  believe, 
relating  my  feast  at  the  Quartermaster-general's  with  the 
Caghnawaga  Indians,  and  from  Framingham  an  account  of 
the  ordnance  there,  and  from  New  York  I  sent  you  a 
pamphlet.  Hope  you  received  these.  Since  I  arrived 
here  I  have  written  to  you  as  often  as  I  could. 

I  am  much  pleased  with  your  caution  in  your  letter,  in 
avoiding  names  both  of  persons  and  places,  or  any  other 
circumstances  which  might  designate  to  strangers  the  writer, 
or  the  person  written  to,  or  the  persons  mentioned.  Char 
acters  and  description  will  do  as  well. 

The  lie  which  you  say  occasioned  such  disputes  at  the 

tavern  was  curious  enough.     Who  could  make  and  spread 

it  ?    I  am  much  obliged  to  an  uncle  for  his  friendship.    My 

worthy  fellow-citizens  may  be  easy  about  me.    I  never  can 

10 


146  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

forsake  what  I  take  to  be  their  interests.  My  own  have 
never  been  considered  by  me  in  competition  with  theirs. 
My  ease,  my  domestic  happiness,  my  rural  pleasures,  my 
little  property,  my  personal  liberty,  my  reputation,  my 
life,  have  little  weight  and  ever  had  in  my  own  estima 
tion,  in  comparison  with  the  great  object  of  my  country. 
I  can  say  of  it  with  sincerity,  as  Horace  says  of  virtue, 
"  To  America  only  and  her  friends  a  friend." 

You  ask  what  is  thought  of  "  Common  Sense."  Sensible 
men  think  there  are  some  whims,  some  sophisms,  some  art 
ful  addresses  to  superstitious  notions,  some  keen  attempts 
upon  the  passions,  in  this  pamphlet.  But  all  agree  there 
is  a  great  deal  of  good  sense  delivered  in  clear,  simple,  con 
cise,  and  nervous  style.  His  sentiments  of  the  abilities  of 
America,  and  of  the  difficulty  of  a  reconciliation  with  Great 
Britain,  are  generally  approved.  But  his  notions  and 
plans  of  continental  government  are  not  much  applauded. 
Indeed,  this  writer  has  a  better  hand  in  pulling  down  than 
building.  It  has  been  very  generally  propagated  through 
the  continent  that  I  wrote  this  pamphlet.  But  although  I 
could  not  have  written  anything  in  so  manly  and  striking 
a  style,  I  natter  myself  I  should  have  made  a  more  respect 
able  figure  as  an  architect,  if  I  had  undertaken  such  a 
work.  This  writer  seems  to  have  very  inadequate  ideas  of 
what  is  proper  and  necessary  to  be  done  in  order  to  form 
constitutions  for  single  colonies,  as  well  as  a  great  model  of 
union  for  the  whole. 

Your  distresses,  which  you  have  painted  in  such  lively 
colors,  I  feel  in  every  line  as  I  read.  I  dare  not  write  all 
that  I  think  upon  this  occasion.  I  wish  our  people  had 
taken  possession  of  Nook's  Hill  at  the  same  time  when  they 
got  the  other  heights,  and  before  the  militia  was  dismissed. 

Poor  cousin  !  I  pity  him.  How  much  soever  he  may 
lament  certain  letters,1  I  don't  lament.  I  never  repent  of 
what  was  no  sin.  Misfortunes  may  be  borne  without 

1  The  intercepted  letters.  Mrs.  Adams's  cousin,  who  lamented  them,  had 
caught  the  feelings  of  those  about  him.  The  spirit  of  independence  which  the 
letters  showed  was  disapproved  by  many  in  England  who  sympathized  with 
America,  and  still  wished  to  keep  open  the  avenues  to  reconciliation. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  147 

whining.  But  if  I  can  believe  Mr.  Dana,  those  letters 
were  much  admired  in  England.  I  can't  help  laughing 
when  I  write  it,  because  they  were  really  such  hasty,  crude 
scraps.  If  I  could  have  foreseen  their  fate,  they  should 
have  been  fit  to  be  seen,  and  worth  all  the  noise  they  have 
made.  Mr.  Dana  says  they  were  considered  in  England 
as  containing  a  comprehensive  idea  of  what  was  necessary 
to  be  done,  and  as  showing  resolution  enough  to  do  it. 
Wretched  stuff  as  they  really  were,  according  to  him  they 
nave  contributed  somewhat  towards  making  certain  persons 
to  be  thought  the  greatest  statesmen  in  the  world.  So 
much  for  vanity. 

My  love,  duty,  respects,  and  compliments  wherever  they 
belong.  Virginia  will  be  well  defended.  So  will  New 
York.  So  will  South  Carolina.  America  will  erelong 
raise  her  voice  aloud  and  assume  a  bolder  air. 

90.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

-  Philadelphia,  29   March,  1776. 

I  GIVE  you  joy  of  Boston  and  Charlestown,  once  more 
the  habitation  of  Americans.  I  am  waiting  with  great  im 
patience  for  letters  from  you,  which  I  know  will  contain 
many  particulars.  We  are  taking  precautions  to  defend 
every  place  that  is  in  danger,  the  Carolinas,  Virginia,  New 
York,  Canada.  I  can  think  of  nothing  but  fortifying  Bos 
ton  harbor.  I  want  more  cannon  than  are  to  be  had.  I 
want  a  fortification  upon  Point  Alderton,  one  upon  Lo veil's 
Island,  one  upon  George's  Island,  several  upon  Long 
Island,  One  upon  the  Moon,  one  upon  Squantum.  I  want 
to  hear  of  half  a  dozen  fire-ships,  and  two  or  three  hundred 
fire-rafts  prepared.  I  want  to  hear  of  row-galleys,  floating 
batteries  built,  and  booms  laid  across  the  channel  in  the 
narrows,  and  Vaisseaux  de  Frise  sunk  in  it.  I  wish  to 
hear  that  you  are  translating  Braintree  commons  into  the 
channel.  No  efforts,  no  expense  are  too  extravagant  for 
me  to  wish  for,  to  fortify  that  harbor  so  as  to  make  it  im 
pregnable.  I  hope  everybody  will  join  and  work  until  it 
is  done. 

We  have  this  week  lost  a  very  valuable  friend  of  the 


148  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

colonies  in  Governor  Ward,  of  Rhode  Island,  by  the  small 
pox  in  the  natural  way.  He  never  would  hearken  to  his 
friends,  who  have  been  constantly  advising  him  to  be  inoc 
ulated,  ever  since  the  first  Congress  began.  But  he  would 
not  be  persuaded.  Numbers,  who  have  been  inoculated, 
have  gone  through  this  distemper  without  any  danger,  or 
even  confinement,  but  nothing  would  do.  He  must  take  it 
in  the  natural  way  and  die.  He  was  an  amiable  and  a 
sensible  man,  a  steadfast  friend  to  his  country  upon  very 
pure  principles.  His  funeral  was  attended  with  the  same 
solemnities  as  Mr.  Randolph's.  Mr.  Stillman  being  the 
Anabaptist  minister  here,  of  which  persuasion  was  the 
Governor,  was  desired  by  Congress  to  preach  a  sermon, 
which  he  did  with  great  applause. 

Remember  me  as  you  ought. 
K  »  . 

91.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  31  March,  1776. 

I  WISH  you  would  ever  write,  me  a  letter  half  as  long  as 
I  write  you,  and  tell  me,  if  you  may,  where  your  fleet  are 
gone  ;  what  sort  of  defense  Virginia  can  make  against  our 
common  enemy  ;  whether  it  is  so  situated  as  to  make  an 
able  defense.  Are  not  the  gentry  lords,  and  the  common 
people  vassals?  Are  they  not  like  the  uncivilized  vassals 
Britain  represents  us  to  be  ?  I  hope  their  riflemen,  who 
have  shown  themselves  very  savage  and  even  blood-thirsty, 
are  not  a  specimen  of  the  generality  of  the  people.  I  am 
willing  to  allow  the  colony  great  merit  for  having  produced 
a  Washington ;  but  they  have  been  shamefully  duped  by  a 
Dunmore. 

have  sometimes  been  ready  to  think  that  the  passion  foi 
liberty  cannot  be  equally  strong  in  the  breasts  of  those  who 
have  been  accustomed  to  deprive  their  fellow-creatures  of 
theirs.  Of  this  I  am  certain,  that  it  is  not  founded  upon 
that  generous  and  Christian  principle  of  doing  to  others  as 
we  would  that  others  should  do  unto  us. 
"  Do  not  you  want  to  see  Boston  ?  I  am  fearful  of  the 
small-pox,  or  I  should  have  been  in  before  this  time.  I  got 
Mr.  Crane  to  go  to  our  house  and  see  what  state  it  was  in. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  149 

I  find  it  has  been  occupied  by  one  of  the  doctors  of  a  regi 
merit ;  very  dirty,  but  no  other  damage  has  been  done  to  it. 
The  few  things  which  were  left  in  it  are  all  gone.  I  look 
upon  it  as  a  new  acquisition  of  property  —  a  property  which 
one  month  ago  I  did  not  value  at  a  single  shilling,  and 
would  with  pleasure  have  seen  it  in  flames. 

The  town  in  general  is  left  in  a  better  state  than  we 
expected ;  more  owing  to  a  precipitate  flight  than  any 
regard  to  the  inhabitants ;  though  some  individuals  dis 
covered  a  sense  of  honor  and  justice,  and  have  left  the  rent 
of  the  houses  in  which  they  were,  for  the  owners,  and  the 
furniture  unhurt,  or,  if  damaged,  sufficient  to  make  it  good. 
Others  have  committed  abominable  ravages.  The  mansion- 
house  of  your  President  is  safe,  and  the  furniture  unhurt ; 
while  the  house  and  furniture  of  the  Solicitor  General  have 
fallen  a  prey  to  their  own  merciless  party.  Surely  the 
very  fiends  feel  a  reverential  awe  for  virtue  and  patriotism, 
whilst  they  detest  the  parricide  and  traitor. 

I  feel  very  differently  at  the  approach  of  spring  from 
what  I  did  a  month  ago.  We  knew  not  then  whether  we 
could  plant  or  sow  with  safety,  whether  where  we  had  tilled 
we  could  reap  the  fruits  of  our  own  industry,  whether  we 
could  rest  in  our  own  cottages  or  whether  we  should  be 
driven  from  the  seacoast  to  seek  shelter  in  the  wilderness ; 
but  now  we  feel  a  temporary  peace,  and  the  poor  fugitives 
are  returning  to  their  deserted  habitations. 

Though  we  felicitate  ourselves,  we  sympathize  with  those 
who  are  trembling  lest  the  lot  of  Boston  should  be  theirs. 
But  they  cannot  be  in  similar  circumstances  unless  pu 
sillanimity  and  cowardice  should  take  possession  of  them. 
They  have  time  and  warning  given  them  to  see  the  evil 
and  shun  it. 

^*\  long  to  hear  that  you  have  declared  an  independency. 
And,(by  the  wayyin  the  new  code  of  laws  which  I  suppose 
it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  make,  I  desire  you  would 
remember  the  ladies  and  be  more  generous  and  favorable  to 
them  than  your  ancestors.  Do  not  put  such  unlimited  power 
into  the  hands  of  the  husbands.  Remember,  all  men  would 
be  tyrants  if  they  could.  If  particular  care  and  attention 


150  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

is  not  paid  to  the  ladies,  we  are  determined  to  foment  a 
rebellion,  and  will  not  hold  ourselves  bound  by  any  laws  in 
which  we  have  no  voice  or  representation. 

That  your  sex  are  naturally  tyrannical  is  a  truth  so 
thoroughly  established  as  to  admit  of  no  dispute  ;  but  such 
of  you  as  wish  to  be  happy  willingly  give  up  the  harsh  title 
of  master  for  the  more  tender  and  endearing  one  of  friend. 
Why,  then,  not  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  the  vicious  and 
the  lawless  to  use  us  with  cruelty  and  indignity  with  impu 
nity  ?  Men  of  sense  in  all  ages  abhor  those  customs  which 
treat  us  only  as  the  vassals  of  your  sex  ;  regard  us  then  as 
beings  placed  by  Providence  under  your  protection,  and  in 
imitation  of  the  Supreme  Being  make  use  of  that  power 
only  for  our  happiness. 

April  5. 

I  want  to  hear  much  oftener  from  you  than  I  do.  March 
8th  was  the  last  date  of  any  that  I  have  yet  had.  You 
inquire  of  me  whether  I  am  making  saltpetre.  I  have  riot 
yet  attempted  it,  but  after  soap-making  believe  I  shall  make 
the  experiment.  I  find  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  manufac 
ture  clothing  for  my  family,  which  would  else  be  naked.  I 
know  of  but  one  person  in  this  part  of  the  town  who  has 
made  any.  That  is  Mr.  Tertius  Bass,  as  he  is  called,  who 
has  got  very  near  a  hundred-weight  which  has  been  found 
to  be  very  good.  I  have  heard  of  some  others  in  the 
other  parishes.  Mr.  Reed,  of  Weymouth,  has  been  applied 
to,  to  go  to  Andover  to  the  mills  which  are  now  at  work, 
and  he  has  gone. 

I  have  lately  seen  a  small  manuscript  describing  the  pro 
portions  of  the  various  sorts  of  powder  fit  for  cannon,  small- 
arms,  and  pistols.  If  it  would  be  of  any  service  your  way 
I  will  get  it  transcribed  and  send  it  to  you.  Every  one  of 
your  friends  sends  regards,  and  all  the  little  ones.  Adieu. 

92.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  7  April,  1776. 

I  HAVE  received  two  letters  from  you  this  week.  One 
of  the  17th  and  the  other  the  19th  of  March.  I  believe  I 
have  received  all  your  letters  except  one  you  mention  writ- 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  151 

ing  from  Framingliam,  which  I  never  heard  of  before.  I 
have  received  all  the  papers  you  have  sent,  the  oration,  and 
the  magazines.  In  the  small  papers  I  sometimes  find 
pieces  begun  and  continued  (for  instance,  Johnston's  speech), 
but  am  so  unlucky  as  not  to  get  the  papers  in  order,  and 
miss  of  seeing  the  whole. 

The  removal  of  the  army  seems  to  have  stopped  the  cur 
rent  of  news.  I  want  to  know  to  what  part  of  America 
they  are  now  wandering.  It  is  reported  and  credited  that 
Manly  has  taken  a  schooner  belonging  to  the  fleet,  richly 
laden  with  money,  plate,  and  English  goods,  with  a  number 
of  Tories.  The  particulars  I  have  not  yet  learned.  Yes 
terday  the  remains  of  our  worthy  General  Warren  were 
dug  up  upon  Bunker's  Hill,  and  carried  into  town,  and  on 
Monday  are  to  be  interred  with  all  the  honors  of  war. 

10  April. 
The    Dr.    was  buried  on    Monday ;  the  Masons  walking 

in  procession  from  the  State  House,  with  the  military  in 
uniforms,  and  a  large  concourse  of  people  attending.  He 
was  carried  into  the  Chapel,  and  there  a  funeral  dirge  was 
played,  an  excellent  prayer  by  Dr.  Cooper,  and  an  oration 
by  Mr.  Morton,  which  I  hope  will  be  printed.  I  think  the 
subject  must  have  inspired  him.  A  young  fellow  could  not 
have  wished  a  finer  opportunity  to  display  his  talents.  The 
amiable  and  heroic  virtues  of  the  deceased,  recent  in  the 
minds  of  the  audience ;  the  noble  cause  to  which  he  fell  a 
martyr  ;  their  own  sufferings  and  unparalleled  injuries,  all 
fresh  in  their  minds,  must  have  given  weight  and  energy 
to  whatever  could  be  delivered  upon  the  occasion.  The 
dead  body,  like  that  of  Ccesar,  before  their  eyes,  whilst  each 
wound, — 

"  Like  dumb  mouths,  did  ope  their  ruby  lips, 
To  beg  the  voice  and  uerance  of  a  tongue. 
Woe  to  the  hands  that  shed  this  costly  blood ! 
A  curse  shall  light  "  upou  their  line. 

11  April. 

I  take  my  pen  and  write  just  as  I  can  get  time  ;  my  let 
ters  will  be  a  strange  mixture.  I  really  am  "cumbered 
about  many  things,"  and  scarcely  know  which  way  to  turn- 


152    '  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

myself.  I  miss  my  partner,  and  find  myself  unequal  to  the 
cares  which  fall  upon  me.  I  find  it  necessary  to  be  the 
directress  of  our  husbandry.  I  hope  in  time  to  have  the 
(  reputation  of  being  as  a  good  a  farmeress  as  my  partner 
has  of  being  a  good  statesman.  To  ask  you  anything  about 
your  return  would,  I  suppose,  be  asking  a  question  which 
you  cannot  answer. 

Retirement,  rural  quiet  domestic  pleasures,  all,  all  must 
give  place  to  the  weighty  cares  of  state.  It  would  be  — 

"  Meanly  poor  in  solitude  to  hide 
An  honest  zeal,  un warped  by  party  rage." 

"  Though  certain  pains  attend  the  cares  of  state, 
A  good  man  owes  his  country  to  be  great, 
Should  act  abroad  the  high  distinguished  part, 
And  show,  at  least,  the  purpose  of  his  heart." 

I  hope  your  Prussian  General l  will  answer  the  high  char 
acter  which  is  given  of  him.  But  we,  who  have  been  bred 
in  a  land  of  liberty,  scarcely  know  how  to  give  credit  to  so 
unjust  and  arbitrary  a  mandate  of  a  despot.  To  cast  off  a 
faithful  servant,  only  for  being  the  unhappy  bearer  of  ill 
news,  degrades  the  man  and  dishonors  the  prince.  The 
Congress,  by  employing  him,  have  shown  a  liberality  of 
sentiment  not  confined  to  colonies  or  continents,  but,  to  use 
the  words  of  "  Common  Sense,"  have  "  carried  their  friend 
ship  on  a  larger  scale,  by  claiming  brotherhood  with  every 
European  Christian,  and  may  justly  triumph  in  the  gen 
erosity  of  the  sentiment." 

Yesterday,  was  taken  and  carried  into  Cohasset,  by  three 
whaleboats,  which  went  from  the  shore  on  purpose,  a  snow 
from  the  Grenadas,  laden  with  three  hundred  and  fifty-four 
puncheons  of  West  India  rum,  forty-three  barrels  of  sugar, 
twelve  thousand  and  five  hundred-weight  of  coffee  ;  a  valu- 
.able  prize.  A  number  of.  Eastern  sloops  have  brought 
wood  into  town  since  the  fleet  sailed.  We  have  a  rumor  of 
Admiral  Hopkins  being  engaged  with  a  number  of  ships 
and  tenders  off  Rhode  Island,  and  are  anxious  to  know 
the  event. 

1  Baron  de  Woedtke,  appointed  by  Congress  a  Brigadier-general  and  ordered 
'to  Canada.  He  died  soon  afterwards  at  Lake  George. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  153 

Be  so  good  as  to  send  me  a  list  of  the  vessels  which  sail 

& 

with  Hopkins,  their  names,  weight  of  metal,  and  number  of 
men  ;  all  the  news  you  know,  etc. 

I  hear  our  jurors  refuse  to  serve,  because  the  writs  are 
issued  in  the  King's  name.  Surely  they  are  for  independ 
ence. 

Write  me  how  you  do  this  winter.  I  want  to  say  many 
things  I  must  omit.  It  is  not  fit  "  to  wake  the  soul  by  ten 
der  strokes  of  art,"  or  to  ruminate  upon  happiness  we  might 
enjoy,  lest  absence  become  intolerable.  Adieu. 

Yours. 

I  wish  you  would  burn  all  my  letters. 

93.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

12  April,  1776. 

I  INCLOSE  a  few  sheets  of  paper,1  and  will  send  more 
as  fast  as  opportunities  present. 

Chesterfield's  letters  2  are  a  chequered  set.  You  would 
not  choose  to  have  them  in  your  library.  They  are  like 
Congreve's  plays,  stained  with  libertine  morals  and  base 
principles. 

You  will  see  by  the  papers  the  news,  the  speculations, 
and  the  political  plans  of  the  day.  The  ports  are  opened 
wide  enough  at  last,  and  privateers  are  allowed  to  prey  upon 
British  trade.  This  is  not  independency,  you  know.  What 
is  ?  Why,  government  in  every  colony,  a  confederation 
among  them  all,  and  treaties  with  foreign  nations  to  ac 
knowledge  us  a  sovereign  state,  and  all  that.  When  these 
things  will  be  done,  or  any  of  them,  time  must  discover 
Perhaps  the  time  is  near,  perhaps  a  great  way  off. 

94.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/14  April. 

You  justly  complain  of  my  short  letters,  but  the  critical 
state  of  things  and  the  multiplicity  of  avocations  must 
plead  my  excuse.  You  ask  where  the  fleet  is  ?  The  in- 

1  "Writing-paper  was  scarce  and  very  indifferent,  owing  to  the  interruption 
of  all  business  during  the  occupation  of  Boston. 

^  Mrs.  Adams  had  expressed  a  wish  to  read  this  book,  then  lately  published. 


154  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

closed  papers  will  inform  you.  You  ask  what  sort  of  de 
fense  Virginia  can  make  ?  I  believe  they  will  make  an 
able  defense.  Their  militia  and  minute-men  have  been 
some  time  employed  in  training  themselves,  and  they  have 
nine  battalions  of  regulars,  as  they  call  them,  maintained 
among  them,  under  good  officers,  at  the  Continental  ex 
pense.  They  have  set  up  a  number  of  manufactories  of  fire 
arms,  which  are  busily  employed.  They  are  tolerably  sup 
plied  with  powder,  and  are  successful  and  assiduous  in  mak 
ing  saltpetre.  Their  neighboring  sister,  or  rather  daughter 
colony  of  North  Carolina,  which  is  a  warlike  colony,  and 
has  several  battalions  at  the  Continental  expense,  as  well  as 
a  pretty  good  militia,  are  ready  to  assist  them,  and  they 
are  in  very  good  spirits  and  seem  determined  to  make  a 
brave  resistance.  The  gentry  are  very  rich,  and  the  com 
mon  people  very  poor.  This  inequality  of  property  gives 
an  aristocratical  turn  to  all  their  proceedings,  and  occasions 
a  strong  aversion  in  their  patricians  to  "  Common  Sense."  l 
But  the  spirit  of  these  Barons  is  coming  down,  and  it  must 
submit.  It  is  very  true,  as  you  observe,  they  have  been 
duped  by  Dunmore.  But  this  is  a  common  case.  All  the 
colonies  are  duped,  more  or  less,  at  one  time  and  another. 
A  more  egregious  bubble  was  never  blown  up  than  the 
story  of  Commissioners  coming  to  treat  with  the  Congress, 
yet  it  has  gained  credit  like  a  charm,  not  only  with,  but 
against  the  clearest  evidence.  I  never  shall  forget  the 
delusion  which  seized  our  best  and  most  sagacious  friends, 
the  dear  inhabitants  of  Boston,  the  winter  before  last. 
Credulity  and  the  want  of  foresight  are  imperfections  in 
the  human  character,  that  no  politician  can  sufficiently 
guard  against. 

You  give  me  some  pleasure  by  your  account  of  a  certain 
house  in  Queen  Street.  I  had  burned  it  long  ago  in  im 
agination.  It  rises  now  to  my  view  like  a  phoenix.  What 
shall  I  say  of  the  Solicitor  General  ?  2  I  pity  his  pretty  chil 
dren.  I  pity  his  father  and  his  sisters.  I  wish  1  could  be 
clear  that  it  is  no  moral  evil  to  pity  him  and  his  lady. 
Upon  repentance,  they  will  certainly  have  a  large  share  in 
1  Fame's  pamphlet.  2  Samuel  Quincy. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  155 

the  compassions  of  many.  But  let  us  take  warning,  and 
give  it  to  our  children.  Whenever  vanity  and  g"iyety,  a 
love  of  pomp  and  dress,  furniture,  equipage,  buildings,  great 
company,  expensive  diversions,  and  elegant  entertainments 
get  the  better  of  the  principles  and  judgments  of  men  or 
women,  there  is  no  knowing  where  they  will  stop,  nor  into 
what  evils,  natural,  moral,  or  political,  they  will  lead  us. 

Your  description  of  your  own  gaiete  de  cceur  charms  me. 
Thanks  be  to  God,  you  have  just  cause  to  rejoice,  and 
may  the  bright  prospect  be  obscured  by  no  cloucL  As 
to  de£jiujitiaa^_QL-ii^  be  patient.  Read  our 

privateering  laws  and  our  commercial  laws.  What  signi 
fies  a  word  ? 

As  to  your  extraordinary  code  of  laws,  I  cannot  but 
laugh.  We  have  been  told  that  our  struggle  has  loosened 
the  bonds  of  government  everywhere  ;  that  children  and 
apprentices  were  disobedient ;  that  schools  and  colleges 
were  grown  turbulent ;  that  Indians  slighted  their  guard 
ians,  and  negroes  grew  insolent  to  their  masters.  But  your 
letter  was  the  first  intimation  that  another  tribe,  more  nu 
merous  and  powerful  than  all  the  rest,  were  grown  discon 
tented.  This  is  rather  too  coarse  a  compliment,  but  you 
are  so  saucy,  I  won't  blot  it  out.  Depend  upon  it,  we  know 
better  than  to  repeal  our  masculine  systems.  Although 
they  are  in  full  force,  you  know  they  are  little  more  than 
theory.  We  dare  not  exert  our  power  in  its  full  latitude. 
We  are  obliged  to  go  fair  and  softly,  and,  in  practice,  you 
know  we  are  the  subjects.  We  have  only  the  name  of 
masters,  and  rather  than  give  up  this,  which  would  com 
pletely  subject  us~to  the  despotism  of  the  petticoat,  I  hope 
General  Washington  and  all  our  brave  heroes  would  fight ; 
I  am  sure  every  good  politician  would  plot,  as  long  as  he 
would  against  despotism,  empire,  monarchy,  aristocracy, 
oligarchy,  or  ochlocracy.  A  fine  story,  indeed  !  I  begin  to 
think  the  ministry  as  deep  as  they  are  wicked.  After  stir 
ring  up  Tories,  land-jobbers,  trimmers,  bigots,  Canadians, 
Indians,  negroes,  Hanoverians,  Hessians,  Russians,  Irish 
Roman  Catholics,  Scotch  renegadoes,  at  last  they  have 
stimulated  the  )  0.4"*f**to  demand  new  privileges  and 
threaten  to  rebel. 


156  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  LAPril» 

95.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  14  April,  1776. 

I  HAVE  missed  my  good  friend  Colonel  Warren  from 
Watertown  in  the  conveyance  of  my  letters.  You  make 
no  mention  of  more  than  one.  Write  me  how  many  you 
have  had  and  what  the  dates  were. 

I  wrote  you,  upon  the  17th  of  March.  Particulars  it 
was  not  then  possible  to  obtain  ;  and  after  that,  I  thought 
every  pen  would  be  employed  in  writing  to  you  a  much  more 
accurate  account  than  I  could  give  you. 

The  fleet  lay  in  the  road  almost  a  fortnight  after  the 
town  was  evacuated.  In  that  time  Major  Tupper  came 
with  a  body  of  men  to  Germantown,  and  procured  two 
lighters,  and  fitted  them  with  every  sort  of  combustible 
matter,  hand  grenades,  etc.,  in  order  to  set  fire  to  the  fleet. 
But  the  very  day  he  was  ready,  they  sailed.  And  it  was 
said  that  they  had  intelligence  from  Boston  of  the  design. 
However,  he  carried  the  lighters  up  to  town  for  the  next 
fleet  that  appears. 

Fort  Hill  is  a-fortifying,  I  suppose,  in  the  best  manner. 
Committees  have  been  appointed  to  survey  the  islands,  etc., 
but  we  are  scanty  of  men.  It  is  said  we  have  not  more 
than  two  thousand  effective  men  left,  and  the  General 
thought  it  necessary  to  take  the  heavy  cannon  with  him. 
We  have  many  pieces  spiked  up,  which  they  are  employed 
in  clearing.  About  a  hundred  pieces,  I  have  heard,  were 
left  at  the  castle  with  their  trunnels  broken,  or  spiked.  The 
castle,  you  have  no  doubt  heard,  was  burnt  by  the  troops 
before  they  sailed,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  blow  up 
the  walls,  in  which,  however,  they  did  riot  succeed  any 
further  than  to  shatter  them.  There  are  so  many  things 
necessary  to  be  done,  that  I  suppose  business  moves  slowly. 
At  present  we  all  seem  to  be  so  happy  and  so  tranquil, 
that  I  sometimes  think  we  want  another  fleet  to  give  some 
energy  and  spirit  to  our  motions.  But  there  has  been  so 
great  an  overturn  that  people  seem  to  be  hardly  recovered 
from  their  amazement.  Many  buildings  in  town  sustained 
great  damages,  more  particularly  at  the  south  end.  The 
furniture  of  many  houses  was  carried  off  or  broken  in  pieces. 


x776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  157 

Dr.  Gardiner'  left  all  his  furniture  and  medicine,  valued,  it 
is  said,  at  four  hundred  sterling.  Dr.  L.  is  still  in  town  ; 
Dr.  Whitworth  too.  Both  ought  to  be  transported.  Mr. 
Golclthwait  is  in  town.  All  the  records  of  which  he  had 
the  care  safe,  though  it  seems  part  of  them  were  car 
ried  into  Boston.  All  the  papers  relating  to  the  Probate 
Courts  are  missing.  Mr.  Lovell,  and  all  the  prisoners 
taken  at  the  Charlestown  battle,  are  carried  off.  The  bells 
are  all  in  town  ;  never  were  taken  down.  The  officers 
and  Tories  have  lived  a  life  of  dissipation.  Inclosed  is  a 
prologue  of  Burgoyne's,  with  a  parody  written  in  Boston, 
soon  after  it  was  acted.  Burgoyne  is  a  better  poet  than 
soldier. 

As  to  goods  of  any  kind,  we  cannot  tell  what  quantity 
there  is.  Only  two  or  three  shops  open.  Goods  at  most 
extravagant  prices.  All  the  better  to  promote  manufac 
tures.  There  is  talk  of  raising  another  regiment.  If  they 
should,  I  fear  we  shall  suffer  in  our  husbandry.  Labor 
is  very  high.  I  cannot  hire  a  man  for  six  months  under 
twenty  pounds  lawful  money..  The  works  upon  the  Neck 
are  leveling.  We  keep  guards  upon  the  shores  yet. 
Manly  has.  taken  a  vessel-load  of  Tories.  Among  them 
is  Black,  the  Scotchman,  and  Brazen-head  Jackson,  Hill, 
the  baker,  etc.  What  can  be  done  with  them  ?  I  think 
they  ought  to  be  transported  to  England.  I  would  adver 
tise  for  Tory  transports. 

Hanover  has  made  large  quantities  of  saltpetre.  This 
week  we  are  to  hold  court  here,  but  I  do  not  imagine  any 
thing  will  be  done.  I  have  a  letter  from  you  the  29th  of 
March.  It  is  said  there  is  one  from  Mr.  Gerry  the  3d 
of  April,  acquainting  us  with  your  opening  trade.  Who  is 
the  writer  of  "  Common  Sense  "  ?  of  "  Cato  "  ?  of  "  Cassan 
dra  "  ?  I  wish  you  would,  according  to  promise,  write  me 
an  account  of  Lord  Stirling.  We  know  nothing  about 
him  here. 

All  the  Tories  look  crest-fallen.  Several  deserters  from 
on  board  the  commodore's  ship  say  that  it  is  very  sickly 
on  board.  We  have  only  that  and  two  or  three  cutters 
besides.  We  fear  that  a  brig,  laden  with  seventy  tons  of 


158  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

powder,  which  sailed  from  Newburyport,  has  fallen  into  the 
enemy's  hands  upon  her  return. 

I  rejoice  in  the  Southern  victories.  The  oration  was  a 
very  elegant  performance,  but  not  without  much  art,  —  a 
few  strokes  which  to  me  injure  it. 

96.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

IX   15  April. 

I  SEND  you  every  newspaper  that  comes  out,  and  I  send 
you,  now  and  then,  a  few  sheets  of  paper,  but  this  article 
is  as  scarce  here  as  with  you.  I  would  send  a  quire,  if  I 
could  get  a  conveyance. 

I  write  you  now  and  then  a  line,  as  often  as  I  can,  but 
I  can  tell  you  no  news  but  what  I  send  in  the  public 
papers. 

We  are  waiting,  it  is  said,  for  Commissioners;  a  messiah 
that  will  never  come.  This  story  of  Commissioners  is  as 
arrant  an  illusion  as  ever  was  hatched  in  the  brain  of  an 
enthusiast,  a  politician,  or  a  maniac.  I  have  laughed  at 
it,  scolded  at  it,  grieved  at  it,  and  I  don't  know  but  I  may, 
at  an  unguarded  moment,  have  rip'd  at  it.  But  it  is  vain 
to  reason  against  such  delusions.  I  was  very  sorry  to  see, 
in  a  letter  from  the  General,  that  he  had  been  bubbled 
with  it ;  and  still  more,  to  see,  in  a  letter  from  my  saga 
cious  friend  W.,1  at  Plymouth,  that  he  was  taken  in  too. 

My  opinion  is  that  the  Commissioners  and  the  commis 
sion  have  been  here  (I  mean  in  America),  these  two 
months.  The  Governors,  Mandamus  Councillors,  Col 
lectors  and  Comptrollers,  and  Commanders  of  the  army 
and  navy,  I  conjecture,  compose  the  list,  and  their  power 
is  to  receive  submissions.  But  we  are  not  in  a  very  sub 
missive  mood.  They  will  get  no  advantage  of  us.  We 
shall  go  on  to  perfection,  I  believe.  I  have  been  very  busy 
for  some  time ;  have  written  about  ten  sheets  of  paper, 
with  my  own  hand,  about  some  trifling  affairs,2  which  I 
may  mention  some  time  or  other  —  not  now,  for  fear  of 
accidents. 

1  James  Warren. 

a  Afterwards  published  under  the  title  of  Thoughts  on  Government. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  159 

What  will  come  of  this  labor,  time  will  discover.  1 
shall  get  nothing  by  it,  I  believe,  because  I  never  get  any 
thing  by  anything  that  I  do.  I  am  sure  the  public  or 
posterity  ought  to  get  something.  I  believe  my  children 
will  think  I  might  as  well  have  thought  and  labored  a 
little,  night  and  day,  for  their  benefit.  But  I  will  not  bear 
the  reproaches  of  my  children.  I  will  tell  them  that  I 
studied  and  labored  to  procure  a  free  constitution  of  gov 
ernment  for  them  to  solace  themselves  under,  and  if  they 
do  not  prefer  this  to  ample  fortune,  to  ease  and  elegance, 
they  are  not  my  children,  and  I  care  not  what  becomes  of 
them.  They  shall  live  upon  thin  diet,  wear  mean  clothes, 
and  work  hard  with  cheerful  hearts  and  free  spirits,  or  they 
may  be  the  children  of  the  earth,  or  of  no  one,  for  me. 

John  has  genius,  and  so  has  Charles.  Take  care  that 
they  don't  go  astray.  Cultivate  their  minds,  inspire  their 
little  hearts,  raise  their  wishes.  Fix  their  attention  upon 
great  and  glorious  objects.  Root  out  every  little  thing. 
Weed  out  every  meanness.  Make  them  great  and  manly. 
Teach  them  to  scorn  injustice,  ingratitude,  cowardice,  and 
falsehood.  Let  them  revere  nothing  but  religion,  morality, 
and  liberty. 

Abby  and  Tommy  are  not  forgotten  by  me,  although  I      s 
did  not  mention  them  before.     The,  first,  by  reason  of  her  '* 
sex,  requires   a  different   education  from   the  two  I  have 
mentioned.      Of  this,  you  are   the  only  judge.      I  want  to 
send  each  of  my  little  pretty  flock  some  present  or  other. 
I  have  walked   over    this   city  twenty  times,  and  gaped  at 
every  shop,  like  a  countryman,  to  find  something,  but  could 
not.     Ask  every  one  of  them  what  they  would  choose  to 
have,  and  write  it  to  me  in  your  next  letter.     From  this  I 
shall  judge  of   their  taste  and  fancy  and  discretion. 

97.  JOHN  ADAMS  TO  JOHN  Q.  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  18  April,  1776. 

I  THANK  you  for  your  agreeable  letter  of  the  24th  of 
March.  I  rejoice  with  you  that  our  friends  are  once  more 
in  possession  of  the  town  of  Boston  ;  am  glad  to  hear  that 
so  little  damage  is  done  to  our  house. 


160  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

I  hope  you  and  your  sister  and  brothers  will  take  proper 
notice  of  these  great  events,  and  remember  under  whose 
wise  and  kind  Providence  they  are  all  conducted.  Not  a 
sparrow  falls,  nor  a  hair  is  lost,  but  by  the  direction  of 
infinite  wisdom.  Much  less  are  cities  conquered  and  evac 
uated.  I  hope  that  you  will  all  remember  how  many  losses, 
dangers,  and  inconveniences  have  been  borne  by  your  par 
ents,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  in  general,  for  the  sake 
of  preserving  freedom  for  you  and  yours,  and  I  hope  you 
will  all  follow  the  virtuous  example,  if,  in  any  future  time, 
your  country's  liberties  shall  be  in  danger,  and  suffer  every 
human  evil  rather  than  give  them  up.  My  love  to  your 
mamma,  your  sister  and  brothers,  and  all  the  family.  I 
am  your  affectionate  father. 

98.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

18  April,  1776. 

I  CANNOT  omit  so  good  an  opportunity  as  offers  by  Mr. 
Church  of  telling  you  that  we  are  all  well.  I  wrote  you 
two  letters  last  week,  which  I  sent  to  Watertown.  In 
those  I  said  everything  that  occurred  to  my  mind.  Noth 
ing  since  of  any  importance  has  taken  place.  The  19th  of 
April,  ever  memorable  for  America  as  the  Ides  of  March 
to  Rome  and  to  Caesar,  is  fixed  upon  for  the  examination 
of  the  Tories  by  a  committee  from  the  General  Court.  I 
could  have  wished  that  some  other  persons  in  the  room  of 
one  or  two  might  have  been  chosen.  It  is  so  dangerous 
mentioning  names  that  I  refer  you  to  Mr.  Church  for  the 
names  of  the  committee,  and  then  you  will  easily  guess 
who  I  mean. 

I  wish  I  could  tell  you  that  business  in  the  fortification 
way  went  on  briskly ;  but  a  western  member  of  the  Gen 
eral  Court,  who  has  great  influence  there,  has  got  it  into 
his  head  that  Fort  Hill  and  Noddle's  Island  are  sufficient, 
and  though  a  man  possessed  of  a  very  good  heart,  is  some 
times  obstinately  wrong. 

The  Court  of  Sessions  sat  yesterday,  and  went  on  with 
business  very  smoothly. 

We  hear  that  Congress  has  declared  a  free  trade ;   and 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  161 

I  give  you  joy  of  the  success  of  Admiral  Hopkins,  not  only 
in  his  expedition,  but  in  his  success  upon  his  return. 
Great  Britain,  I  think,  is  not  quite  omnipotent  at  sea  any 
more  than  upon  the  land. 

You  promised  to  come  and  see  me  in  May  or  June. 
Shall  I  expect  you,  or  do  you  determine  to  stay  out  the 
year  ?  I  very  well  remember  when  the  eastern  circuits  of 
the  courts,  which  lasted  a  month,  were  thought  an  age, 
and  an  absence  of  three  months  intolerable.  But  we  are 
carried  from  step  to  step,  and  from  one  degree  to  another, 
to  endure  that  which  at  first  we  think  impossible. 

But  I  assure  you  I  am  obliged  to  make  use  of  reason 
and  philosophy  in  addition  to  custom,  to  feel  patient.  Be 
assured  I  always  remember  you  as  I  ought,  that  is,  with 
the  kindest  affection.  PORTIA. 

99.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

21  April,  1776. 

I  HAVE  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  very  few  lines 
dated  the  12th  of  April.  You  make  no  mention  of  the 
whole  sheets  I  have  wrote  to  you,  by  which  I  judge  you 
either  never  received  them,  or  that  they  were  so  lengthy 
as  to  be  troublesome  ;  and  in  return  you  have  set  me  an 
example  of  being  very  concise.  I  believe  I  shall  not  take 
the  hint,  but  give  as  I  love  to  receive.  Mr.  Church  talked 
a  week  ago  of  setting  off  for  Philadelphia.  I  wrote  by 
him,  but  suppose  it  has  not  yet  gone.  You  have  perhaps 
heard  that  the  bench  is  filled  by  Messrs.  Foster  and  Sulli 
van,  so  that  a  certain  person  is  now  excluded.  I  own  I  am 
not  of  so  forgiving  a  disposition  as  to  wish  to  see  him  hold 
ing  a  place  which  he  refused  merely  from  a  spirit  of  envy. 

I  give  up  my  request  for  Chesterfield's  "  Letters,"  sub 
mitting  entirely  to  your  judgment,  as  I  have  ever  found 
you  ready  to  oblige  me  in  this  way  whenever  you  thought 
it  would  contribute  either  to  my  entertainment  or  improve 
ment.  I  was  led  to  the  request  from  reading  the  follow 
ing  character  of  him  in  my  favorite  Thomson,  from  some 
spirited  and  patriotic  speeches  of  his  in  the  reign  of 
George  II. :  — 

11 


162  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  'April, 

«'  0  thou  whose  wisdom,  solid  yet  refined, 
Whose  patient-virtues  and  consummate  skill 
To  touch  the  finer  springs  that  move  the  world, 
Joined  to  whate'er  the  Graces  can  bestow, 
And  all  Apollo's  animating  fire, 
Give  thee  with  pleasing  dignity  to  shine 
At  once  the  guardian,  ornament,  and  joy 
Of  polished  life.     Permit  the  rural  muse, 
0  Chesterfield !  to  grace  thee  with  her  song, 
Ere  to  the  shades  again  she  humbly  flies; 
Indulge  her  fond  ambition,  in  thy  train 
(For  every  muse  has  in  thy  train  a  place) 
To  mark  thy  various,  full  accomplished  mind,  — 
To  mark  that  spirit  which,  with  British  scorn, 
Rejects  th'  allurements  of  corrupted  power ; 
That  elegant  politeness  which  excels, 
Even  in  the  judgment  of  presumptuous  France, 
The  boasted  manner  of  her  shining  court; 
That  wit.  the  vivid  energy  of  sense, 
The  truth  of  nature,  which,  with  Attic  point, 
And  kind,  well-tempered  satire,  smoothly  keen, 
Steals  through  the  soul,  and,  without  pain,  corrects." 

I  think  the  speculations  you  inclose  prove  that  there  is 
full  liberty  of  the  press.  Cato  shows  he  has  a  bad  cause 
to  defend ;  whilst  the  Forester  writes  with  a  spirit  peculiar 
to  himself,  and  leads  me  to  think  that  he  has  an  inti 
mate  acquaintance  with  "  Common  Sense." 

We  have  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of  some  of  the  Tory 
fleet  at  Halifax  ;  that  they  are  much  distressed  for  want  of 
houses,  —  obliged  to  give  six  dollars  per  month  for  one 
room  ;  provisions  scarce  and  dear.  Some  of  them  with  six 
or  eight  children  around  them,  sitting  upon  the  rocks,  cry 
ing,  not  knowing  where  to  lay  their  heads. 

Just  Heaven  has  given  them  to  taste  of  the  same  cup 
of  affliction  which  they  one  year  ago  administered  with 
such  callous  hearts  to  thousands  of  their  fellow-citizens  ; 
but  with  this  difference,  that  they  fly  from  the  injured  and 
enraged  country,  whilst  pity  and  commiseration  received 
the  sufferers  whom  they  inhumanly  drove  from  their 
dwellings. 

I  would  fain  hope  that  the  time  may  not  be  far  distant 
when  those  things  you  hint  at  may  be  carried  into  execu 
tion. 

"  Oh !  are  ye  not  those  patriots  in  whose  power 
That  best,  that  godlike  luxury  is  placed 
Of  blessing  thousands,  thousands  yet  unborn 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  163 

Thro'  late  posterity  ?     Ye  large  of  soul, 

Cheer  up  dejected  industry,  and  give 

A  double  harvest  to  the  pining  swain. 

Teach  thou,  the  laboring  herd  the  sweets  of  toil; 

How,  by  the  finest  art,  the  native  robe 

To  weave;  how,  white  as  Hyperborean  snow, 

To  form  the  lucid  lawn ;  with  venturous  oar 

How  to  dash  wide  the  billow ;  nor  look  on, 

Shamefully  passive,  while  Britannia's  fleets 

Defraud  us  of  the  glittering  finny  swarms 

That  hem  our  firths  and  swarm  upon  our  shores; 

How  all -en livening  trade  to  rouse,  and  wing 

The  prosperous  sail  from  every  growing  port 

Uninjured  round  the  semicircled  globe." 

It  is  rumored  here  that  Admiral  Hopkins  is  blocked  up 
in  Newport  harbor  by  a  number  of  men-of-war.  If  so, 
*t  is  a  very  unlucky  circumstance.  As  to  fortifications, 
those  who  preside  in  the  Assembly  can  give  you  a  much 
better  account  than  I. 

I  heard  yesterday  that  a  number  of  gentlemen  who 
were  together  at  Cambridge  thought  it  highly  proper  that 
a  committee  of  ladies  should  be  chosen  to  examine  the 
Tory  ladies,  and  proceeded  to  the  choice  of  three  —  Mrs. 
Winthrop,  Mrs.  Warren,  and  your  humble  servant. 

I  could  go  on  and  give  you  a  long  list  of  domestic 
affairs,  but  they  would  only  serve  to  embarrass  you  and 
noways  relieve  me.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  long  before 
things  will  be  brought  into  such  a  train  as  that  you  may 
be  spared  to  your  family. 

Your  brother  has  lost  his  youngest  child  with  convul 
sion  fits.  Your  mother  is  well  and  always  desires  to  be 
remembered  to  you.  Nabby  is  sick  with  the  mumps,  —  a 
very  disagreeable  disorder.  You  have  not  once  told  me 
how  you  do.  I  judge  you  are  well,  as  you  seem  to  be  in 
good  spirits.  I  bid  you  good  night.  All  the  little  flock 
send  duty,  and  want  to  see  p — a. 

Adieu.     Shall  I  say,  remember  me  as  you  ought  ? 

ioo.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  23  April,  1776. 

THIS  is  St.  George's  day,  a  festival  celebrated  by  the 
English,  as  St.  Patrick's  is  by  the  Irish,  St.  David's  by  the 


164  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

Welsh,  and  St.  Andrew's  by  the  Scotch.  The  natives  of 
Old  England  in  this  city  heretofore  formed  a  society, 
which  they  called  St.  George's  Club  or  St.  George's  Society. 
Upon  the  23d  of  April,  annually,  they  had  a  great  feast. 
But  the  Tories  and  politics  have  made  a  schism  in  the 
society,  so  that  one  part  of  them  are  to  meet  and  dine  at 
the  City  Tavern,  and  the  other  at  the  Bunch  of  Grapes, 
Israel  Jacobs's,  and  a  third  party  go  out  of  town.  One  set 
are  stanch  Americans,  another  stanch  Britons,  and  a  third, 
half-way  men,  neutral  beings,  moderate  men,  prudent  folks  ; 
for  such  is  the  division  among  men  upon  all  occasions  and 
every  question.  This  is  the  account  which  I  have  from 
my  barber,  who  is  one  of  the  society,  and  zealous  on  the 
side  of  America,  and  one  of  the  Philadelphia  Associators. 

This  curious  character  of  a  barber  I  have  a  great  in 
clination  to  draw,  for  your  amusement.  He  is  a  little, 
dapper  fellow,  short  and  small,  but  active  and  lively.  A 
tongue  as  fluent  and  voluble  as  you  please,  wit  at  will,  and 
a  memory  or  an  invention  which  never  leaves  him  at  a  loss 
for  a  story  to  tell  you  for  your  entertainment.  He  has 
seen  great  company.  He  has  dressed  hair  and  shaved 
faces  at  Bath,  and  at  Court.  He  is  acquainted  with  sev 
eral  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  particularly  Sir  William 
Meredith.  He  married  a  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  Quaker 
in  this  place,  of  whom  he  tells  many  droll  stories.  He  is  a 
serjeant  in  one  of  the  companies  of  some  battalion  or  other 
here.  He  frequents,  of  evenings,  a  beer  house  kept  by  one 
Weaver,  in  the  city,  where  he  has  many  curious  disputes 
and  adventures,  and  meets  many  odd  characters. 

I  believe  you  will  think  me  very  idle  to  write  you  so 
trifling  a  letter,  upon  so  uninteresting  a  subject,  at  a  time 
when  my  country  is  fighting  pro  aris  et  focis.  But  I  assure 
you  I  am  glad  to  chat  with  this  barber,  while  he  is  shav 
ing  and  combing  me,  to  divert  myself  from  less  agreeable 
thoughts.  He  is  so  sprightly  and  good-humored  that  he 
contributes,  more  than  I  could  have  imagined,  to  my  com 
fort  in  this  life.  Burne  has  prepared  a  string  of  toasts  for 
the  club  to  drink  to-day  at  Israel's. 

The  thirteen  united  colonies. 


1776.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  165 

The  free  and  independent  States  of  America. 
The  Congress  for  the  time  being. 
The  American  army  and  navy. 

The  Governor  and  Council  of  South  Carolina,  etc.,  etc., 
etc. 

A  happy  election  for  the  Whigs  on  the  first  of  May,  etc. 

10 1.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  28   April,  1776. 

YESTERDAY  I  received  two  letters  from  you  from  the 
7th  to  the  14th  of  April.  It  gives  me  concern  to  think  of 
the  many  cares  you  must  have  upon  your  mind.  Your 
reputation  as  a  farmer,  or  anything  else  you  undertake,  I 
dare  answer  for.  Your  partner's  character  as  a  statesman 
is  much  more  problematical. 

As  to  my  return,  I  have  not  a  thought  of  it.  Journeys 
of  such  a  length  are  tedious,  and  expensive  both  of  time 
and  money,  neither  of  which  is  my  own.  I  hope  to  spend 
the  next  Christmas  where  I  did  the  last,  and  after  that  I 
hope  to  be  relieved  ;  for  by  that  time,  I  shall  have  taken  a 
pretty  good  trick  at  helm,  whether  the  vessel  has  been 
well  steered  or  not..  But  if  my  countrymen  should  insist 
upon  my  serving  them  another  year,  they  must  let  me  bring 
my  whole  family  with  me.  Indeed,  I  could  keep  house 
here,  with  my  partner,  four  children,  and  two  servants,  as 
cheap  as  I  maintain  myself  here  with  two  horses  and  a 
servant  at  lodgings. 

Instead  of  domestic  felicity,  I  am  destined  to  public  con 
tentions.  Instead  of  rural  felicity,  I  must  reconcile  myself 
to  the  smoke  and  noise  of  a  city.  In  the  place  of  private 
peace,  I  must  be  distracted  with  the  vexation  of  develop 
ing  the  deep  intrigues  of  politicians,  and  must  assist  in  con 
ducting  the  arduous  operations  of  war,  and  think  myself 
well  rewarded  if  my  private  pleasure  and  interests  are  sac 
rificed,  as  they  ever  have  been  and  will  be,  to  the  happi 
ness  of  others. 

You  tell  me  our  jurors  refuse  to  serve,  because  the 
writs  are  issued  in  the  King's  name.  I  am  very  glad  to 
hear  that  they  discover  so  much  sense  and  spirit.  I  learn, 


166  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

from  another  letter,  that  the  General  Court  have  left  out  of 
their  bills  the  year  of  his  reign,  and  that  they  are  making 
a  law  that  the  same  name  shall  be  left  out  of  all  writs, 
commissions,  and  all  law  processes.  This  is  good  news 
too.  The  same  will  be  the  case  in  all  the  colonies,  very 
soon. 

You  ask  me,  how  I  have  done,  the  winter  past.  I  have 
not  enjoyed  so  good  health  as  last  fall.  But  I  have  done 
complaining  of  anything.  Of  ill-health  I  have  no  right  to 
complain,  because  it  is  given  me  by  Heaven.  Of  meanness, 

of  envy,  of  littleness,  of ,  of ,  of ,  I  have  reason 

and  right  to  complain,  but  I  have  too  much  contempt  to 
use  that  right.  There  is  such  a  mixture  of  folly,  littleness, 
and  knavery  in  this  world,  that  I  am  weary  of  it,  and  al 
though  I  behold  it  with  unutterable  contempt  and  indigna 
tion,  yet  the  public  good  requires  that  I  should  take  no 
notice  of  it  by  word  or  by  letter.  And  to  this  public  good 
I  will  conform. 

You  will  see  an  account  of  the  fleet  in  some  of  the 
papers  I  have  sent  you.  I  give  you  joy  of  the  Admiral's 
success.  I  have  vanity  enough  to  take  to  myself  a  share 
in  the  merit  of  the  American  navy.  It- was  always  a  meas 
ure  that  my  heart  was  much  engaged  in,  and  I  pursued  it 
for  a  long  time  against  the  wind  and  tide,  but  at  last  ob 
tained  it. 

Is  there  no  way  for  two  friendly  souls  to  converse  to 
gether  although  the  bodies  are  four  hundred  miles  off  ? 
Yes,  by  letter.  But  I  want  a  better  communication.  I 
want  to  hear  you  think  or  to  see  your  thoughts.  The  con 
clusion  of  your  letter  makes  my  heart  throb  more  than  a 
cannonade  would.  You  bid  rne  burn  your  letters.  But  I 
must  forget  you  first.  In  yours  of  April  14  you  say  you 
miss  our  friend  in  the  conveyance  of  your  letters.  Don't 
hesitate  to  write  by  the  post.  Seal  well.  Don't  miss  a 
single  post.  You  take  it  for  granted  that  I  have  particu 
lar  intelligence  of  everything  from  others,  but  I  have  not. 
If  any  one  wants  a  vote  for  a  commission  he  vouchsafes 
me  a  letter,  but  tells  me  very  little  news.  I  have  more 
particulars  from  you  than  any  one  else.  Pray  keep  me 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  167 

constantly  informed  what  ships  are  in  the  harbor  and  what 
fortifications  are  going  on.  I  am  quite  impatient  to  hear 
of  more  vigorous  measures  for  fortifying  Boston  harbor. 
Not  a  moment  should  be  neglected.  Every  man  ought  to 
go  down,  as  they  did  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  and 
work  until  it  is  done.  I  would  willingly  pay  half  a  dozen 
hands  myself,  and  subsist  them,  rather  than  it  should  not 
be  done  immediately.  It  is  of  more  importance  than  to 
raise  corn.  You  say  "  inclosed  is  a  prologue  and  a  par 
ody,"  but  neither  was  inclosed.  If  you  did  not  forget  it, 
the  letter  has  been  opened,  and  the  inclosures  taken  out. 
If  the  small-pox  spreads,  run  me  in  debt  I  received,  a 
post  or  two  past,  a  letter  from  your  uncle  at  Salem,  con 
taining  a  most  friendly  and  obliging  invitation  to  you 
and  yours  to  go  and  have  the  distemper  at  his  house  if 
it  should  spread.  He  has  one  or  two  in  his  family  to 
have  it. 

The  writer  of  "Common  Sense"  and  "The  Forester" 
is  the  same  person.  His  name  is  Paine,  a  gentleman 
about  two  years  ago  from  England,  a  man  who,  General 
'Lee  says,  has  genius  in  his  eyes.  The  writer  of  "  Cassan 
dra  "  is  said  to  be  Mr.  James  Cannon,  a  tutor  in  the  Phil 
adelphia  College.  "  Cato  "  is  reported  here  to  be  Doctor 
Smith  —  a  match  for  Brattle.  The  oration  was  an  inso 
lent  performance.  A  motion  was  made  to  thank  the 
orator,  and  ask  a  copy,  but  opposed  with  great  spirit  and 
vivacity  from  every  part  of  the  room,  and  at  last  with 
drawn,  lest  it  should  be  rejected,  as  it  certainly  would 
have  been,  with  indignation.  The  orator  then  printed  it 
himself,  after  leaving  out  or  altering  some  offensive  pas 
sages.  This  is  one  of  the  many  irregular  and  extravagant 
characters  of  the  age.  I  never  heard  one  single  person 
speak  well  of  anything  about  him  but  his  abilities,  which 
are  generally  allowed  to  be  good.  The  appointment  of 
him  to  make  the  oration  was  a  great  oversight  and  mis 
take. 

The  last  act  of  Parliament  has  made  so  deep  an  impres 
sion  upon  people's  minds  throughout  the  colonies,  it  is- 
looked  upon  as  the  last  stretch  of  oppression,  that  we  ara 


168  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

hastening  rapidly  to  great  events.  Governments  will  be 
up  everywhere  before  midsummer,  and  an  end  to  royal 
style,  titles,  and  authority.  Such  mighty  revolutions  make 
a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  men,  and  set  many 
violent  passions  at  work.  Hope,  fear,  joy,  sorrow,  love, 
hatred,  malice,  envy,  revenge,  jealousy,  ambition,  avarice, 
resentment,  gratitude,  and  every  other  passion,  feeling, 
sentiment,  principle,  and  imagination  were  never  in  more 
lively  exercise  than  they  are  now  from  Florida  to  Canada 
inclusively.  May  God  in  his  providence  overrule  the 
whole  for  the  good  of  mankind.  It  requires  more  serenity 
of  temper,  a  deeper  understanding,  and  more  courage  than 
fell  to  the  lot  of  Marlborough  to  ride  in  this  whirlwind. 

102.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  7  May,  1776. 

How  many  are  the  solitary  hours  I  spend  ruminating 
upon  the  past  and  anticipating  the  future,  whilst  you,  over 
whelmed  with  the  cares  of  state,  have  but  a  few  moments 
you  can  devote  to  any  individual.  All  domestic  pleasures 
and  enjoyments  are  absorbed  in  the  great  and  important' 
duty  you  owe  your  country,  "  for  our  country  is,  as  it 
were,  a  secondary  god,  and  the  first  and  greatest  parent. 
It  is  to  be  preferred  to  parents,  wives,  children,  friends, 
and  all  things,  —  the  gods  only  excepted ;  for,  if  our 
country  perishes,  it  is  as  impossible  to  save  an  individual 
as  to  preserve  one  of  the  fingers  of  a  mortified  hand." 
Thus  do  I  suppress  every  wish,  and  silence  every  murmur, 
acquiescing  in  a  painful  separation  from  the  companion  of 
my  youth  and  the  friend  of  my  heart. 

I  believe  't  is  near  ten  days  since  I  wrote  you  a  line.  I 
liave  not  felt  in  a  humor  to  entertain  you.  If  I  had  taken 
41  p  my  pen  perhaps  some  unbecoming  invective  might  have 
fallen  from  it.  The  eyes  of  our  rulers  have  been  closed, 
And  a  lethargy  has  seized  almost  every  member.  I  fear  a 
fatal  security  has  taken  possession  of  them.  Whilst  the 
.building  is  in  flames,  they  tremble  at  the  expense  of  water 
to  quench  it.  In  short,  two  months  have  elapsed  since  the 
evacuation  of  Boston,  and  very  little  has  been  done  in  that 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  169 

time  to  secure  it,  or  the  harbor,  from  future  invasion.  The 
people  are  all  in  a  flame,  and  no  one  among  us,  that  I  have 
lieard  of,  even  mentions  expense.  They  think,  universally, 
that  there  has  been  an  amazing  neglect  somewhere.  Many 
have  turned  out  as  volunteers  to  work  upon  Noddle's 
Island,  and  many  more  would  go  upon  Nantasket,  if  the 
business  was  once  set  on  foot.  "  'T  is  a  maxim  of  state, 
that  power  and  liberty  are  like  heat  and  moisture.  Where 
they  are  well  mixed,  everything  prospers  ;  where  they  are 
single,  they  are  destructive." 

A  government  of  more  stability  is  much  wanted  in  this 
colony,  and  they  are  ready  to  receive  it  from  the  hands  of 
the  Congress.  And  since  I  have  begun  with  maxims  of 
state,  I  will  add  another,  namely,  that  a  people  may  let  a 
king  fall,  yet  still  remain  a  people  ;  but,  if  a  king  let  his 
people  slip  from  him,  he  is  no  longer  a  king.  And  as  this 
is  most  certainly  our  case,  why  not  proclaim  to  the  world, 
in  decisive  terms,  your  own  importance  ? 

Shall  we  not  be  despised  by  foreign  powers,  for  hesitat 
ing  so  long  at  a  word  ? 

I  cannot  say  that  I  think  you  are  very  generous  to  the 
ladies;  for,  whilst  you  are  proclaiming  peace  and  good- will 
to  men,  emancipating  all  nations,  you  insist  upon  retaining 
an  absolute  power  over  wives.  But  you  must  remember 
that  arbitrary  power  is  like  most  other  things  which  are 
very  hard,  very  liable  to  be  broken  ;  and,  notwithstanding 
all  your  wise  laws  and  maxims,  we  have  it  in  our  power, 
not  only  to  free  ourselves,  but  to  subdue  our  masters,  and, 
without  violence,  throw  both  your  natural  and  legal  au 
thority  at  our  feet ;  — 

"  Charm  by  accepting,  by  submitting  sway, 
Yet  have  our  humor  most  when  we  obey." 

I  thank  YOU  for  several  letters  whictri" hare  "received 
since  I  wrote  last ;  they  alleviate  a  tedious  absence,  and  I 
long  earnestly  for  a  Saturday  evening,  and  experience  a 
similar  pleasure  to  that  which  I  used  to  find  in  the  return 
of  my  friend  upon  that  day  after  a  week's  absence.  The 
idea  of  a  year  dissolves  all  my  philosophy. 

Our  little  ones,  whom  you  so  often  recommend  to  my 


170  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

care  and  instruction,  shall  not  be  deficient  in  virtue  or  prob 
ity,  if  the  precepts  of  a  mother  have  their  desired  effect ; 
but  they  would  be  doubly  enforced,  could  they  be  indulged 
with  the  example  of  a  father  alternately  before  them.  I 
often  point  them  to  their  sire,  — 

"  engaged  in  a  corrupted  state, 
Wrestling  with  vice  and  faction.1' 

9  May. 

I  designed  to  have  finished  the  sheet,  but,  an  opportunity 
offering,  I  close,  only  just  informing  you  that,  May  the 
7th,  our  privateers  took  two  prizes  in  the  bay,  in  fair  sight 
of  the  man-of-war  ;  one,  a  brig  from  Ireland  ;  the  other 
from  Fayal,  loaded  with  wine,  brandy,  etc. ;  the  other  with 
beef,  etc.  The  wind  was  east,  and  a  flood  tide,  so  that  the 
tenders  could  not  get  out,  though  they  tried  several  times  ; 
the  lighthouse  fired  signal  guns,  but  all  would  not  do. 
They  took  them  in  triumph,  and  carried  them  into  Lynn. 

Pray  be  kind  enough  to  remember  me  at  all  times,  and 
write,  as  often  as  you  possibly  can,  to  your  PORTIA. 

103.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

9  May,  1776. 

I  THIS  day  received  yours  of  the  20th  of  April,  accom 
panied  with  a  letter  upon  government.  Upon  reading  it 
I  somehow  or  other  felt  an  uncommon  affection  for  it.  I 
could  not  help  thinking  it  was  a  near  relation  of  a  very 
intimate  friend  of  mine.  If  I  am  mistaken  in  its  descent, 
I  know  it  has  a  near  affinity  to  the  sentiments  of  that 
person.  And  though  I  cannot  pretend  to  be  an  adept  in 
the  art  of  government,  yet  it  looks  rational  that  a  govern 
ment  of  good  laws  well  administered  should  carry  with 
them  the  fairest  prospect  of  happiness  to  a  community,  as 
well  as  to  individuals.  But  as  this  is  a  prerogative  to 
which  your  sex  lay  an  almost  exclusive  claim,  I  shall  quit 
the  subject  after  having  quoted  a  passage  in  favor  of  a  re 
public,  from  an  anonymous  author  entitled  "  Essays  on  the 
Genius  and  Writings  of  Pope." 

"  The  fine  arts  in  short,  are  naturally  attendant  upon 
power  and  luxury.  But  the  sciences  require  unlimited  free- 


1776.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  171 

dom  to  raise  them  to  their  full  vigor  and  growth.  In  a 
monarchy  there  may  be  poets,  painters,  and  musicians,  but 
orators,  historians,  and  philosophers  can  exist  in  a  republic 
alone.  The  Roman  nation,  by  their  unjust  attempt  upon 
the  liberty  of  the  world,  justly  lost  their  own,  and  with  their 
liberty  they  lost  not  only  their  force  of  eloquence,  but 
even  their  style  and  language  itself." 

This  province  is  not  in  the  most  agreeable  situation  at 
present.  It  wants  a  poise,  a  stability,  which  it  does  not 
possess.  The  Council  have  recommended  it  to  the  Superi 
or  Court  to  sit  at  Ipswich  next  term.  Judge  Gushing 
called  upon  me  yesterday  with  his  lady,  and  made  me  a  very 
friendly  visit ;  said  he  wished  earnestly  for  the  presence  of 
the  Chief  Justice.  He  had  many  things  he  wished  to  say 
to  him.  I  requested  him  to  write,  and  he  has  promised  to. 

The  spirit  of  fortification  has  just  waked,  and  we  are 
now  pursuing  with  vigor  what  ought  before  thisv  time  to 
have  been  completed.  Fort  Hill,  the  Castle,  Dorchester 
Points,  Noddle's  Island  are  almost  completed.  A  committee 
are  sent  down  to  Nantasket,  and  orders  are  given  to  for 
tify  the  Moon,  George's  Island,  etc.  I  believe  Noddle's 
Island  has  been  done  by  subscription.  Six  hundred  inhab 
itants  of  the  town  meet  every  morning  in  the  town  house, 
from  whence  they  march  with  fife  and  drum,  with  Mr. 
Gordon,  Mr.  Skilman,  and  Mr.  Lothrop  at  their  head,  to 
the  Long  Wharf,  where  they  embark  for  the  island ;  and 
it  conies  to  the  subscribers'  turn  to  work  two  days  in  a 
week. 

You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  the  appointment  of  your 
friend  as  judge.  He  seems  loath  to  accept,  and  his  lady  I 
think  loath  that  he  should.  Surely  it  does  not  look  well  to 
have  those  offices  bandied  about  from  hand  to  hand ;  if 
they  could  not  obtain  one  from  the  bar,  that  gentleman 
will  fill  the  place  with  honor  to  himself  and  his  brethren. 
But  Mr.  Lowell  ought  to  have  come  in,  instead  of  some 
others ;  but  there  are  some  in  Council  who  require  more 
than  Heaven :  that  demands  only  repentance  and  amend 
ment. 

Let  me  hear  from  you  often.     Yours  unfeignedly. 


172  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

104.  JOHN 


/Philadelphia,  12   May,  1776. 

YOURS  of  21  April  came  to  hand  yesterday.  I  send 
you  regularly  every  newspaper,  and  write  as  often  as  I  can  ; 
but  I  feel  more  skittish  about  writing  than  I  did,  because, 
since  the  removal  of  headquarters  to  New  York,  we  have 
no  express,  and  very  few  individual  travellers  ;  and  the 
post  I  am  not  quite  confident  in  ;  however,  I  shall  write  as 
I  can. 

What  shall  I  do  with  my  office  ?  1  I  want  to  resign  it 
for  a  thousand  reasons.  Would  you  advise  me  ? 

There  has  been  a  gallant  battle  in  Delaware  River  be 
tween  the  galleys  and  two  men-of-war,  the  Roebuck  and 
Liverpool,  in  which  the  men-of-war  came  off  second  best  ; 
which  has  diminished,  in  the  minds  of  the  people  oil  both 
sides  of  the  river,  the  terror  of  a  man-of-war. 

I  long  to  hear  a  little  of  my  private  affairs  ;  yet  I  dread 
it,  too,  because  I  know  you  must  be  perplexed  and  distressed. 
I  wish  it  was  in  my  power  to  relieve  you.  It  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  learn  that  our  rulers  are,  at  last,  doing 
something  towards  the  fortification  of  Boston.  But  I  am 
inexpressibly  chagrined  to  find  that  the  enemy  is  fortifying 
on  George's  Island.  I  never  shall  be  easy  until  they  are 
completely  driven  out  of  that  harbor,  and  effectually  pre 
vented  from  ever  getting  in  again.  As  you  are  a  politician 
and  now  elected  into  an  important  office,  that  of  judgess  of 
the  Tory  ladies,  which  will  give  you,  naturally,  an  influence 
with  your  sex,  I  hope  you  will  be  instant,  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  in  exhorting  them  to  use  their  influence  with  the 
gentlemen,  to  fortify  upon  George's  Island,  Lo  veil's,  Pet- 
tick's,  Long,  or  wherever  else  it  is  proper.  Send  down 
fire  ships  and  rafts,  and  burn  to  ashes  those  pirates.  I  am 
out  of  patience  with  the  languid,  lethargic  councils  of  the 
province,  at  such  a  critical,  important  moment,  puzzling 
their  heads  about  twopenny  fees,  and  confession  bills,  and 
what  not,  when  the  harbor  of  Boston  is  defenseless.  If  I 
was  there,  I  should  storm  and  thunder  like  Demosthenes, 
or  scold  like  a  tooth-drawer.  Do  ask  Mr.  Wibird  and  Mr. 
1  That  of  Chief  Justice. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS  173 

Weld  and  Mr.  Taft  to  preach  about  it.  I  am  ashamed, 
vexed,  angry  to  the  last  degree.  Our  people,  by  their 
torpitude,  have  invited  the  enemy  to  come  to  Boston  again, 
and  I  fear  they  will  have  the  civility  and  politeness  to  ac 
cept  the  invitation. 

Your  uncle  has  never  answered  my  letter.  Thank  the 
Dr. ;  he  has  written  me  a  most  charming  letter,  full  of 
intelligence  and  very  sensible  and  useful  remarks.  I  will 
pay  the  debt,  as  far  as  my  circumstances  will  admit,  and  as 
soon.  But  I  hope  my  friends  will  not  wait  for  regular  re 
turns  from  me.  I  have  not  yet  left  off  pitying  "  the  fifty 
or  sixty  men  ; "  and  if  my  friends  knew  all  that  I  do,  they 
would  pity  too. 

105.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

.^fT  May,  1776. 

I  HAVE  this  morning  heard  Mr.  Duffield,  upon  the  signs 
of  the  times.  He  ran  a  parallel  between  the  case  of  Israel 
and  that  of  America  ;  and  between  the  conduct  of  Pharaoh 
and  that  of  George.  Jealousy  that  the  Israelites  would 
throw  off  the  government  of  Egypt  made  him  issue  his  edict 
that  the  midwives  should  cast  the  children  into  the  river, 
and  the  other  edict,  that  the  men  should  make  a  large  reve 
nue  of  bricks  without  straw.  He  concluded,  that  the  course 
of  events  indicated  strongly  the  design  of  Providence  that 
we  should  be  separated  from  Great  Britain,  etc. 

Is  it  not  a  saying  of  Moses,  "  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go 
in  and  out  before  this  great  people  "?  When  I  consider  the 
great  events  which  are  passed,  and  those~greater  which  are 
rapidly  advancing,  and  that  I  may  have  been  instrumental 
in  touching  some  springs  and  turning  some  small  wheels, 
which  have  had  and  will  have  such  effects,  I  feel  an  awe 
upon  my  mind  which  is  not  easily  described.  Great-/ 
Britain  has  at  last  driven  America  to  the  last  step,  a  com 
plete  separation  from  her;  a  total,  absolute  independence, 
not  only  of  her  Parliament,  but  of  her  crown,  for  such  is 
the  amount  of  the  resolve  of  the  loth.1  Confederation 

1  Or  rather  of  the  preamble,  which  was  adopted  on  that  day,  as  an  amend 
ment  to  the  resolution  passed  on  the  10th.  On  the  6th,  Mr.  Adams  had  of- 


174  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

among  ourselves,  or  alliances  with  foreign  nations,  are  not 
necessary  to  a  perfect  separation  from  Britain.  That  is 
effected  by  extinguishing  all  authority  under  the  crown, 
Parliament,  and  nation,  as  the  resolution  for  instituting 
governments  has  done,  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  Con 
federation  will  be  necessary  for  our  internal  concord,  and 
alliances  may  be  so  for  our  external  defense. 

I  have  reasons  to  believe  that  no  colony,  which  shall  as 
sume  a  government  under  the  people,  will  give  it  up. 
There  is  something  very  unnatural  and  odious  in  a  govern 
ment  a  thousand  leagues  off.  A  whole  government  of  our 
own  choice,  managed  by  persons  whom  we  love,  revere,  and 
can  confide  in,  has  charms  in  it  for  which  men  will  fight. 
Two  young  gentlemen  from  South  Carolina  in  this  city, 
who  were  in  Charlestown  when  their  new  constitution  was 
promulgated,  and  when  their  new  Governor  and  Council 
and  Assembly  walked  out  in  procession,  attended  by  the 
guards,  company  of  cadets,  light  horse,  etc.,  told  me  that 
they  were  beheld  by  the  people  with  transports  and  tears 
of  joy.  The  people  gazed  at  them  with  a  kind  of  rapture. 
They  both  told  me  that  the  reflection  that  these  were 
gentlemen  whom  they  all  loved,  esteemed,  and  revered, 
gentlemen  of  their  own  choice,  whom  they  could  trust,  and 
whom  they  could  displace,  if  any  of  them  should  behave 
amiss,  affected  them  so  that  they  could  not  help  crying. 
They  say  their  people  will  never  give  up  this  government. 
One  of  these  gentlemen  is  a  relation  of  yours,  a  Mr.  Smith, 
son  of  Mr.  Thomas  Smith.  I  shall  give  him  this  letter  or 
another  to  you. 

A  privateer  fitted   out  here  by  Colonel    Roberdeau  and 

fered,  in  committee  of  the  whole,  a  resolve  that  the  colonies  should  form  govern 
ments  independent  of  the  crown.  The  shape  in  which  this  proposition  was 
adopted  on  the  10th  was  a  recommendation  to  the  respective  assemblies  and 
conventions  of  the  united  colonies,  where  no  government  sufficient  to  the  exigen 
cies  of  their  affairs  had  been  yet  established,  to  adopt  such  government  as 
might  in  their  opinion  best  conduce  to  the  safety  and  happiness  of  their  con 
stituents  in  particular,  and  America  in  general.  This  resolution  was  passed 
on  the  10th  of  May,  accompanied  by  another  appointing  Mr.  Adams,  Mr. 
Kutledge,  and  Mr.  K.  H.  Lee  a  committee  to  prepare  a  preamble.  This  com 
mittee  accordingly  reported  the  draught  of  a  preamble,  which  was  agreed  to  on 
the  15th,  the  date  named  in  this  letter. 


1776.J  JOHN  ADAMS.  175 

Major  Bayard  since  our  resolves  for  privateering,  I  am  this 
moment  informed,  has  taken  a  valuable  prize.  This  is 
encouragement  at  the  beginning. 

In  one  or  two  of  your  letters,  you  remind  me  to  think 
of  you  as  I  ought.  Be  assured,  there  is  not  an  hour  of  the 
day  in  which  I  don't  think  of  you  as  I  ought,  that  is,  with 
every  sentiment  of  tenderness,  esteem,  and  admiration. 

1 06.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  22   May,  17T6. 

WHEN  a  man  is  seated  in  the  midst  of  forty  people, 
some  of  whom  are  talking,  and  others  whispering,  it  is  not 
easy  to  think  what  is  proper  to  write.  I  shall  send  you 
the  newspapers,  which  will  inform  you  of  public  affairs,  and 
the  particular  flickerings  of  parties  in  this  colony.  I  am 
happy  to  learn  from  your  letter  that  a  flame  is  at  last 
raised  among  the  people,  for  the  fortification  of  the  harbor. 
Whether  Nantasket  or  Point  Alderton  would  be  proper 
posts  to  be  taken,  I  can't  say.  But  I  would  fortify  every 
place  which  is  proper,  and  which  cannon  could  be  obtained 
for.  Generals  Gates  and  Mifflin  are  now  here.  General 
Washington  will  be  here  to-morrow,  when  we  shall  consult 
and  deliberate  concerning  the  operations  of  the  ensuing 
campaign. 

We  have  dismal  accounts  from  Europe  of  the  prepara 
tions  against  us.  This  summer  will  be  very  important  to 
us.  We  shall  have  a  severe  trial  of  our  patience,  fortitude, 
and  perseverance.  But  I  hope  we  shall  do  valiantly,  and 
tread  down  our  enemies. 

I  have  some  thoughts  of  petitioning  the  General  Court 
for  leave  to  bring  my  family  here.  I  am  a  lonely,  for 
lorn  creature  here.  It  used  to  be  some  comfort  to  me 
that  I  had  a  servant  and  some  horses.  They  composed  a 
sort  of  family  for  me.  But  now,  there  is  not  one  creature 
here  that  I  seem  to  have  any  kind  of  relation  to.  It  is  a 
cruel  reflection,  which  very  often  comes  across  me,  that  I 
should  be  separated  so  far  from  those  babes  whose  educa 
tion  and  welfare  lie  so  near  my  heart.  But  greater  mis 
fortunes  than  these  must  not  divert  us  from  superior 
duties. 


176  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

Your  sentiments  of  the  duties  we  owe  to  our  country 
are  such  as  become  the  best  of  women  and  the  best  of  men. 
Among  all  the  disappointments  and  perplexities  which 
have  fallen  to  my  share  in  life,  nothing  has  contributed  so 
much  to  support  my  mind  as  the  choice  blessing  of  a  wife 
whose  capacity  enabled  her  to  comprehend,  and  whose 
pure  virtue  obliged  her  to  approve,  the  views  of  her  hus 
band.  This  has  been  the  cheering  consolation  of  my  heart 
in  my  most  solitary,  gloomy,  and  disconsolate  hours.  In 
this  remote  situation,  I  am  deprived  in  a  great  measure  of 
this  comfort.  Yet  I  read  and  read  again  your  charming 
letters,  and  they  serve  me,  in  some  faint  degree,  as  a  sub 
stitute  for  the  company  and  conversation  of  the  writer.  I 
want  to  take  a  walk  with  you  in  the  garden,  to  go  over  to 
the  common,  the  plain,  the  meadow.  I  want  to  take 
Charles  in  one  hand  and  Tom  in  the  other,  and  walk  with 
you,  Abby  on  your  right  hand  and  John  upon  my  left,  to 
view  the  corn  fields,  the  orchards,  etc. 

Alas,  poor  imagination  !  how  faintly  and  imperfectly  do 
you  supply  the  want  of  originality  and  reality.  But  in 
stead  of  these  pleasing  scenes  of  domestic  life,  I  hope  you 
will  not  be  disturbed  with  the  alarms  of  war.  I  hope, 
yet  I  fear. 

107.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  27   May,  1776. 

I  HAVE  three  of  your  favors  before  me.  The  last  has 
given  me  relief  from  many  anxieties.  It  relates  wholly  to 
private  affairs,  and  contains  such  an  account  of  wise  and 
prudent  management  as  makes  me  very  happy.  I  begin 
to  be  jealous  that  our  neighbors  will  think  affairs  more 
discreetly  conducted  in  my  absence  than  at  any  other  time. 
Whether  your  suspicions  concerning  a  letter  under  a  mar 
ble  cover  are  just  or  not,  it  is  best  to  say  little  about  it. 
It  is  a  hasty,1  hurried  thing,  and  of  no  great  consequence, 
calculated  for  a  meridian  at  a  great  distance  from  New 
England.  If  it  has  done  no  good,  it  will  do  no  harm.  It 
has  contributed  to  set  people  thinking  upon  the  subject,  and 
1  Thoughts  on  Government. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  177 

in  this  respect  has  answered  its  end.  The  manufacture  of 
governments  having,  since  the  publication  of  that  letter, 
been  as  much  talked  of  as  that  of  saltpetre  was  before. 

I  rejoice  at  your  account  of  the  spirit  of  fortification, 
and  the  good  effects  oi  it.  I  hope  by  this  time  you  are  in 
a  tolerable  posture  of  defense.  The  inhabitants  of  Boston 
have  done  themselves  great  honor  by  their  laudable  zeal, 
the  clergymen,  especially. 

I  think  you  shine  as  a  stateswoman  of  late,  as  well  as  a 
farmeress.  Pray  where  do  you  get  your  maxims  of  state  ? 
They  are  very  apropos.  I  am  much  obliged  to  Judge 
Gushing  and  his  lady  for  their  polite  visit  to  you.  I  should 
be  very  happy  to  see  him,  and  converse  with  him  about 
many  things,  but  cannot  hope  for  that  pleasure  very  soon. 
The  affairs  of  America  are  in  so  critical  a  state,  such  great 
events  are  struggling  into  birth,  that  I  must  not  quit  this 
station  at  this  time.  Yet  I  dread  the  melting  heats  of  a 
Philadelphia  summer,  and  know  not  how  my  frail  constitu 
tion  will  endure  it.  Such  constant  care,  such  incessant 
application  of  mind,  drinking  up  and  exhausting  the  finer 
spirits,  upon  which  life  and  health  so  essentially  depend, 
will  wear  away  a  stronger  man  than  I  am.  Yet  I  will  not 
shrink  from  this  danger  or  this  toil.  While  my  health 
shall  be  such  that  I  can  discharge,  in  any  tolerable  man 
ner,  the  duties  of  this  important  post,  I  will  not  desert  it. 

I  am  pleased  to  hear  that  the  Superior  Court  is  to  sit  at 
Ipswich  in  June.  This  will  contribute  to  give  stability  to 
the  government,  I  hope,  in  all  its  branches.  But  I  pre 
sume  other  steps  will  be  taken  for  this  purpose.  A  Gov 
ernor  and  Lieutenant-governor,  I  hope,  will  be  chosen,  and 
the  Constitution  a  little  more  fixed.  I  hope  too,  that  the 
Council  will,  this  year,  be  more  full,  and  augmented  by 
the  addition  of  good  men.  I  hope  Mr.  Bowdoin  will  be 
Governor,  if  his  health  will  permit,  and  Dr.  Winthrop 
Lieutenant-governor.  These  are  wise,  learned,  and  pru 
dent  men.  The  first  has  a  great  fortune  and  wealthy  con 
nections.  The  other  has  the  advantage  of  a  name  and 
family  which  is  much  reverenced,  besides  his  personal  abil 
ities  and  virtues,  which  are  very  great. 
12 


178  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

Our  friend,1  I  sincerely  hope,  will  not  refuse  his  ap 
pointment.  For  although  I  have  ever  thought  that  the 
bench  should  be  filled  from  the  bar,  and  once  labored  suc 
cessfully  to  effect  it,  yet  as  the  gentlemen  have  seen  fit  to 
decline,  I  know  of  no  one  who  would  do  more  honor  to 
the  station  than  my  friend.  None  would  be  so  agreeable 
to  me,  whether  I  am  to  sit  by  him  or  before  him.  I  sup 
pose  it  must  be  disagreeable  to  him  and  his  lady,  because 
he  loves  to  be  upon  his  farm,  and  they  both  love  to  be  to 
gether.  But  you  must  tell  them  of  a  couple  of  their 
friends,  who  are  as  fond  of  living  together,  who  are  obliged 
to  sacrifice  their  rural  amusements  and  domestic  happiness 
to  the  requisitions  of  the  public. 

The  Generals,  Washington,  Gates,  and  Mifflin,  are  all 
here,  and  we  shall  derive  spirit,  unanimity,  and  vigor  from 
their  presence  and  advice.  I  hope  you  will  have  some 
general  officers  at  Boston  soon.  I  am,  with  constant 
wishes  and  prayers  for  your  health  and  prosperity,  forever 
yours. 

108.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

WHAT  can  be  the  reason  I  have  not  heard  from  you 
since  the  20th  of  April,  and  now  't  is  the  27th  of  May. 
My  anxious,  foreboding  heart  fears  every  evil,  and  my 
nightly  slumbers  are  tortured.  I  have  sent  and  sent  again 
to  the  post-office,  which  is  now  kept  in  Boston  at  the  office 
of  the  former  Solicitor  General.  Not  one  line  for  me, 
though  your  handwriting  is  to  be  seen  to  several  others. 
Not  a  scrip  have  I  had  since  the  General  Assembly  rose, 
and  the  very  idea  casts  such  a  gloom  upon  my  spirits  that 
I  cannot  recover  them  for  hours,  nor  reason  myself  out 
of  my  fears.  Surely  if  letters  are  delivered  to  any  other 
hand  than  those  to  whose  care  they  are  directed,  't  is  cruel 
to  detain  them.  I  believe  for  the  future  you  had  better 
direct  them  to  be  left  in  the  post-office,  from  whence  I  shall 
be  sure  of  obtaining  them. 

I  wrote  you  two  letters  about  a  fortnight  ago  which  were 
1  James  Warren. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  179 

both  covered  together.  Hope  you  have  received  them. 
We  have  no  news  here  but  what  you  will  be  informed 
of  long  before  this  reaches  you,  unless  it  is  the  politics 
of  the  town.  At  our  May  meeting  Mr.  Wibird  was  desired 
to  preach  a  sermon  previous  to  the  choice,  which  he  did  to 
great  acceptation.  The  debates  were  not  who,  but  how 
many  should  be  sent.  They  agreed  upon  three :  Mr. 
Bass  for  the  upper  precinct,  Colonel  Thayer  for  the  middle, 
and  an  uncle  of  ours  1  for  this  ;  but  he  begged  to  be  ex 
cused  as  his  state  of  health  was  so  infirm,  and  so  subject  to 
a  nervous  headache  that  he  was  sure  he  could  not  stand 
it  to  sit  in  so  numerous  an  assembly.  The  next  vote  was 
for  your  brother,  and  a  tie  took  place  between  him  and 
Colonel  Palmer ;  but  the  latter  declaring  that  he  would 
tarry  in  the  House  if  chosen  there,  the  vote  fell  upon 
him. 

The  disagreeable  news  we  have  from  Quebec  is  a  great 
damper  to  our  spirits,  but  shall  we  receive  good  and  not 
evil  ?  Upon  this  occasion  you  will  recollect  the  sentiments 
of  your  favorite,  Sully :  "  Without  attempting  to  judge  of 
the  future,  which  depends  upon  too  many  accidents,  much 
less  to  subject  it  to  our  precipitation  in  bold  and  difficult 
enterprises,  we  should  endeavor  to  subdue  one  obstacle 
at  a  time,  nor  suffer  ourselves  to  be  depressed  by  their 
greatness  and  their  number.  We  ought  never  to  despair 
at  what  has  once  been  accomplished.  How  many  things 
have  had  the  idea  of  impossible  annexed  to  them,  that 
have  become  easy  to  those  who  knew  how  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  time,  opportunity,  lucky  moments,  the  faults  of 
others,  different  dispositions  and  an  infinite  number  of 
other  circumstances." 

These  are  sentiments  worthy  of  the  man  who  could  ex 
ecute  what  he  planned.  I  sincerely  wish  we  had  the  spirit 
of  Sully  animating  our  counsels. 

,    27  May. 

My  heart  is  as  light  as  a  feather  and  my  spirits  are 
dancing.     I  received  this  afternoon  a  fine  parcel  of  letters 
and  papers  by  Colonel  Thayer.     It  was  a  feast  to  me.     I 
l  Norton  Quincy. 


180  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

shall  rest  in  quiet,  I  hope,  this  night.  The  papers  I 
have  not  read,  but  sit  down  to  write  you,  for  Mr.  Bass  has 
just  been  here  to  let  me  know  that  Harry  will  call  upon 
him  to-morrow  and  take  this  letter  for  me.  I  would  not 
have  you  anxious  about  me.  I  make  out  better  than  I 
did. 

I  took  a  ride  last  week,  and  ventured  just  as  far  as  the 
stump  of  Liberty  Tree.  Roxbury  looks  more  injured  than 
Boston.  That  is,  the  houses  look  more  torn  to  pieces.  I 
was  astonished  at  the  extent  of  our  lines  and  their  strength. 

We  have  taken  a  most  noble  prize,  the  inventory  of 
which  you  will  have  in  the  paper.  The  poor  Captain 1 
has  since  lost  his  life  in  a  desperate  engagement  with 
thirteen  boats  from  the  men  of  war,  which  attacked  and 
attempted  to  board  him  ;  but  by  a  most  brave  resistance 
they  sunk  four  of  the  boats  and  fought  so  warmly  with 
their  spears  and  small  arms  as  to  oblige  them  to  quit  him, 
though  he  had  but  twenty-seven  men  and  they  five  times 
his  number.  He  unhappily  fell,  and  was  the  only  one  who 
did.  Many  dead  bodies  have  since  been  taken  up,  among 
whom  is  an  officer. 

We  have  now  in  fair  sight  of  my  uncle's  the  Commodore, 
a  thirty-six  gun  frigate,  another  large  vessel,  and  six  small 
craft.  I  hope  after  election  we  shall  have  ways  and 
means  devised  to  drive  off  these  torments.  Providence 
seems  to  have  delivered  into  our  hands  the  very  articles 
most  needed,  and  at  a  time  when  we  were  weak  and  not 
so  well  provided  for  as  we  could  wish.  We  have  two  row- 
galleys  building,  and  men  of  spirit  to  use  them  I  dare  say 
will  be  found.  One  engagement  only  whets  their  appetite 
for  another. 

I  heard  last  night  that  we  had  three  regiments  coming 
back  to  us,  with  General  Gates  to  head  them  ;  at  which  I 
most  sincerely  rejoiced.  I  think  he  is  the  man  we  want. 

You  ask  my  advice  with  regard  to  your  office.  If  I  was 
to  consult  only  my  own  private  satisfaction  and  pleasure, 
I  should  request  you  to  resign  it ;  but  alas,  that  is  of  small 
moment  when  compared  to  the  whole,  and  I  think  you 

l  Mugford.    Gordon's  History,  Vol.  II.  p.  263,  Bradford,  Vol.  II.  p.  109. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  181 

qualified  and  know  you  disposed  to  serve  your  country.  I 
must  advise  you  to  hold  it,  at  least  for  the  present  year. 
And  in  saying  this  I  make  a  sacrifice  which  those  only  can 
judge  of  whose  hearts  are  one. 

I  was  much  affected,  the  other  day,  by  a  letter  which  I 
saw  from  the  lady  of  the  late  worthy  General  Mont 
gomery.  Speaking  of  him,  she  says,  "  Suffer  me  to  repeat 
his  last  words  to  me :  '  You  shall  never  blush  for  your 
Montgomery.'  Nobly  has  he  kept  his  word.  As  a  wife  I 
must  ever  mourn  the  husband,  friend,  and  lover  of  a  thou 
sand  virtues,  of  all  domestic  bliss,  the  idol  of  my  warmest 
affections,  and,  in  one  word,  my  every  dream  of  happiness. 
Methinks  I  am  like  the  poor  widow  in  the  Gospel;  having 
given  my  mite,  I  sit  down  disconsolate." 

These  are  only  detached  parts  of  the  letter,  to  which  I 
fear  I  have  not  done  justice,  as  I  have  only  my  memory  to 
serve  me  ;  but  it  was  a  very  fine  letter.  Oh  that  I  could 
annihilate  space.  Yours. 

109.  JOHX  ADAMS. 

2  June,  1776. 

YESTERDAY  I  dined  with  Captain  Richards,  the  gentle 
man  who  made  me  the  present  of  the  brass  pistols.  We 
had  cherries,  strawberries,  and  green  peas  in  plenty.  The 
fruits  are  three  weeks  earlier  here  than  with  you.  In 
deed,  they  are  a  fortnight  earlier  on  the  east  than  on  the 
west  side  of  Delaware  River.  We  have  had  green  peas 
this  week  past,  but  they  were  brought  over  the  river,  from 
New  Jersey,  to  this  market.  There  are  none  grown  in 
the  city  or  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  yet.  The  reason 
is,  the  soil  of  New  Jersey  is  a  warm  sand  ;  that  of  Penn 
sylvania  a  cold  clay.  So  much  for  peas  and  berries. 

Now  for  something  of  more  importance.  In  all  the  cor 
respondence  I  have  maintained,  during  a  course  of  twenty 
years,  at  least,  that  I  have  been  a  writer  of  letters,  I  never 
kept  a  single  copy.  This  negligence  and  inaccuracy  has 
been  a  great  misfortune  to  me  on  many  occasions.  I  have 
now  purchased  a  folio  book,  in  the  first  page  of  which,  ex 
cepting  one  blank  leaf,  I  am  writing  this  letter,  and  intend 


182  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

to  write  all  my  letters  to  you  in  it,  from  this  time  forward. 
This  will  be  an  advantage  to  me  in  several  respects.  In 
the  first  place,  I  shall  write  more  deliberately.  In  the 
second  place,  I  shall  be  able,  at  all  times,  to  review 
what  I  have  written.  Third,  I  shall  know  how  often  I 
write.  Fourth,  I  shall  discover  by  this  means  whether  any 
of  my  letters  to  you  miscarry.  If  it  were  possible  for  me 
to  find  a  conveyance,  I  would  send  you  such  another  blank 
book  as  a  present,  that  you  might  begin  the  practice  at 
the  same  time,  for  I  really  think  that  your  letters  are  much 
better  worth  preserving  than  mine.  Your  daughter  and 
sons  will  very  soon  write  so  good  hands  that  they  will 
copy  the  letters  for  you  from  your  book,  which  will  im 
prove  them,  at  the  same  time  that  it  relieves  you. 

no.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

3  June,  1776. 

I  RECEIVED  by  Mr.  Church  a  few  lines  from  you.  I 
wish  to  hear  from  you  every  opportunity,  though  you  say 
no  more  than  that  you  are  well.  I  feel  concerned  lest 
your  clothes  should  go  to  rags,  having  nobody  to  take  any 
care  of  you  in  your  long  absence ;  and  then,  you  have 
not  with  you  a  proper  change  for  the  seasons.  However, 
you  must  do  the  best  you  can.  I  have  a  suit  of  home 
spun  for  you  whenever  you  return.  I  cannot  avoid  some 
times  repining  that  the  gifts  of  fortune  were  not  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  I  might  have  enjoyed  the  happiness  of 
spending  my  days  with  my  partner,  but  as  it  is,  I  think 
it  my  duty  to  attend  with  frugality  and  economy  to  our 
own  private  affairs  ;  and  if  I  cannot  add  to  our  little  sub 
stance,  yet  see  it  that  it  is  not  diminished.  I  should  enjoy 
but  little  comfort  "in  a  state  of  idleness  and  uselessness. 
Here  I  can  serve  my  partner,  my  family,  and  myself,  and 
enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  your  serving  your  country. 

I  wish  you  would  write  me  what  I  had  best  do  with 
our  house  at  Boston.  I  would  advertise  it  if  you  think 
best.  There  are  so  many  houses  torn  to  pieces  and  so 
many  others  abused,  that  I  might  stand  a  chance  of  letting 
it,  perhaps,  as  it  is  in  so  good  repair. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  183 

My  brother  is  desirous  of  joining  the  army  again,  but 
would  choose  to  be  a  field-officer.  I  have  mentioned  him 
to  some  of  the  House,  and  suppose  he  will  be  recommended 
to  Congress  for  a  commission.  I  hardly  know  where  you 
will  find  men  to  form  the  regiments  required.  I  begin  to 
think  population  a  very  important  branch  in  the  American 
manufactories. 

I  inclose  a  list  of  the  Council.  The  House  consists  of 
more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  members.  Your  former 
pupil  Angier  conies  from  Bridgewater,  and  five  others.  I 
hope  they  will  proceed  in  business  with  a  little  more  spirit 
than  heretofore.  They  are  procuring  two  row-galleys,  but 
when  they  will  be  finished  I  know  not.  I  thought  they 
were  near  done,  but  find  to-day  they  are  not  yet  contracted 
for.  All  our  gentry  are  gone  from  Nantasket  Road  except 
the  Commodore  and  one  or  two  small  craft. 

Everything  bears  a  very  great  price.  The  merchant 
complains  of  the  farmer  and  the  farmer  of  the  merchant 
—  both  are  extravagant.  Living  is  double  what  it  was  one 
year  ago. 

I  find  you  have  licensed  tea,  but  I  am  determined  not 
to  be  a  purchaser  unless  I  can  have  it  at  Congress  price, 
and  in  that  article  the  venders  pay  no  regard  to  Congress, 
asking  ten,  eight,  and  the  lowest  is  seven  and  sixpence  per 
pound.  I  should  like  a  little  green,  but  they  say  there  is 
none  to  be  had  here.  I  only  wish  it  for  a  medicine,  as  a 
relief  to  a  nervous  pain  in  my  head  to  which  I  am  sometimes 
subject.  Were  it  a"s  plenty  as  ever,  I  would  not  practice 
the  use  of  it. 

Our  family  are  all  well.  It  has  been  reported  here  that 
Congress  were  going  to  remove  forty  miles  beyond  Phila 
delphia.  I  gave  no  credit  to  the  report.  I  heard  no  rea 
son  assigned  for  it.  I  had  much  rather  they  would  come  a 
hundred  miles  nearer  here.  Adieu.  Yours. 


in.  JOHK  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  16  June,  1776. 

YESTERDAY  was  to  me  a  lucky  day,  as  it  brought  me 
two  letters  from  you.     One  dated  May  27,  and   the  other 


184  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

June  3d.  Don't  be  concerned  about  me,  if  it  happens  now 
and  then  that  you  don't  hear  from  me  for  some  weeks  to 
gether.  If  anything  should  injure  my  health  materially, 
you  will  soon  hear  of  it.  But  I  thank  God  I  am  in  much 
better  health  than  I  expected  to  be.  But  this  cannot  last 
long  under  the  load  that  I  carry.  When  it  becomes  too 
great  for  my  strength,  I  shall  ask  leave  to  lay  it  down,  and 
come  home.  But  I  will  hold  it  out  a  good  while  yet,  if 
I  can. 

I  wish  our  uncle1  had  as  much  ambition  as  he  has  virtue 
and  ability.  A  deficiency  of  ambition  is  as  criminal  and 
injurious  as  an  excess  of  it.  Tell  him  I  say  so.  How 
shall  we  contrive  to  make  so  wise  and  good  a  man  ambi 
tious  ?  Is  it  not  a  sin  to  be  so  modest  ?  Ask  him  how 
he  can  answer  it  ?  Thanks  for  your  quotation  from  Sully. 
It  is  extremely  apropos.  I  am  very  glad  you  are  so  well 
provided  with  help.  Give  my  respects  to  Mr.  Belcher 
and  his  family.  Tell  him  I  am  obliged  to  him  for  his  kind 
care  of  the  farm.  I  wish  I  could  go  out  with  him  and  see 
the  business  go  on,  but  I  can't.  Thank  your  father  and 
my  mother  for  their  kind  remembrance  of  me.  Return 
my  duty  to  both.  Charles's  young  heroism  charms  me. 
Kiss  him.  Poor  Mugford,  yet  glorious  Mugford !  How 
beautiful  and  sublime  it  is  to  die  for  one's  country !  What 
a  fragrant  memory  remains. 

The  rumor  you  heard  of  General  Gates  will  prove  pre 
mature.  I  endeavored  both  here  and  with  the  General 
to  have  it  so,  and  should  have  succeeded,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  loss  of  General  Thomas.  Cruel  small-pox ! 
worse  than  the  sword !  But  now,  I  fear  we  must  part 
with  Gates  for  the  sake  of  Canada.  Mrs.  Montgomery  is 
a  lady,  like  all  the  family,  of  refined  sentiments  and  ele 
gant  accomplishments.  Her  letter,  as  you  quote  it,  is  very 
pathetic.  I  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  enemy  have  not  forti 
fied,  and  hope  they  will  not  be  suffered  to  attempt  it. 

Don't  think  about  my  clothes.     I  do  well  enough  in  that 

1  Norton  Quincy  was  solicited  to  fill  responsible  stations  at  the  outset  of 
the  Revolution,  but  he  preferred  to  live  a  recluse  all  his  life,  which  terminated 
m  1801  in  his  paternal  mansion  at  Mount  Woliaston. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  185 

respect.  As  to  your  house  at  Boston,  do  with  it  as  you 
please  Sell  it,  if  you  will,  but  not  for  a  farthing  less  than 
it  cost  me.  Let  it,  if  you  please,  but  take  care  who  your 
tenant  is.  both  of  his  prudence  to  preserve  the  house  and 
his  ability  to  pay  the  rent. 

I  send  you  all  the  news  in  the  papers.  Great  things 
are  on  the  tapis.  These  throes  will  usher  in  the  birth  of 
a  fine  boy.  We  have  no  thoughts  of  removing  from 
hence.  There  is  no  occasion  for  it. 

112.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Plymouth,  17  June,  1776,  a  remarkable  day. 

I  THIS  day  received  by  the  hands  of  our  worthy  friend 
a  large  packet,  which  has  refreshed  and  comforted  me. 
Your  own  sensations  have  ever  been  similar  to  mine.  I 
need  not  then  tell  you  how  gratified  I  am  at  the  frequent 
tokens  of  remembrance  with  which  you  favor  me,  nor  how 
they  rouse  every  tender  sensation  of  my  soul,  which  some 
times  will  find  vent  at  my  eyes.  Nor  dare  I  describe  how 
earnestly  I  long  to  fold  to  my  fluttering  heart  the  object 
of  my  warmest  affections ;  the  idea  soothes  me.  I  feast 
upon  it  with  a  pleasure  known  only  to  those  whose  hearts 
and  hopes  are  one. 

The  approbation  you  give  to  my  conduct  in  the  manage 
ment  of  our  private  affairs  is  very  grateful  to  me,  and  suffi 
ciently  compensates  for  all  my  anxieties  and  endeavors  to 
discharge  the  many  duties  devolved  upon  me  in  consequence 
of  the  absence  of  my  dearest  friend.  Were  they  discharged 
according  to  my  wishes,  I  should  merit  the  praises  you  be 
stow. 

You  see  I  date  from  Plymouth.  I  came  upon  a  visit  to 
our  amiable  friends,  accompanied  by  my  sister  Betsey,  a 
day  or  two  ago.  It  is  the  first  night  I  have  been  absent 
since  you  left  me.  Having  determined  upon  this  visit  for 
some  time,  I  put  my  family  in  order  and  prepared  for  it, 
thinking  I  might  leave  it  with  safety.  Yet,  the  day  I  set 
out  I  was  under  many  apprehensions,  by  the  coming  in  of 
ten  transports,  which  were  seen  to  have  many  soldiers  on 
board,  and  the  determination  of  the  people  to  go  and  for- 


186  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

tify  upon  Long  Island,  Pettick's  Island,  Nantasket,  and 
Great  Hill.  It  was  apprehended  they  would  attempt  to 
land  somewhere,  but  the  next  morning  I  had  the  pleasure 
to  hear  they  were  all  driven  out,  Commodore  and  all ;  not 
a  transport,  a  ship,  or  a  tender  to  be  seen.  This  shows 
what  might  have  been  long  ago  done.  Had  this  been  done 
in  season,  the  ten  transports,  with  many  others,  in  all  prob 
ability  would  have  fallen  into  our  hands;  but  the  prog 
ress  of  wisdom  is  slow. 

Since  I  arrived  here  I  have  really  had  a  scene  quite 
novel  to  me.  The  brig  Defence,  from  Connecticut,  put  in 
here  for  ballast.  The  officers,  who  are  all  from  thence, 
and  who  are  intimately  acquainted  at  Dr.  Lathrop's,  invited 
his  lady  to  come  on  board,  and  bring  with  her  as  many  of 
her  friends  as  she  could  collect.  She  sent  an  invitation  to 
our  friend,  Mrs.  Warren,  and  to  us.  The  brig  lay  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  town.  The  officers  sent  their  barge, 
and  we  went.  Every  mark  of  respect  and  attention  which 
was  in  their  power,  they  showed  us.  She  is  a  fine  brig, 
fmounts  sixteen  guns,  twelve  swivels,  and  carries  one  hun- 
red  and  twenty  men.  A  hundred  and  seventeen  were  on 
board,  and  no  private  family  ever  appeared  under  better 
regulation  than  the  crew.  It  was  as  still  as  though  there 
had  been  only  half  a  dozen  ;  not  a  profane  word  among 
any  of  them.  The  captain  himself  is  an  exemplary  man 
(Harden  his  name)  ;  has  been  in  nine  sea  engagements ; 
says  if  he  gets  a  man  who  swears,  and  finds  he  cannot 
reform  him,  he  turns  him  on  shore,  yet  is  free  to  confess 
that  it  was  the  sin  of  his  youth.  He  has  one  lieutenant, 
a  very  fine  fellow,  Smelderi  by  name.  We  spent  a  very 
agreeable  afternoon,  and  drank  tea  on  board.  They  showed 
us  their  arms,  which  were  sent  by  Queen  Anne,  and  every 
thing  on  board  was  a  curiosity  to  me.  They  gave  us  a 
mock  engagement  with  an  enemy,  and  the  manner  of  taking 
a  ship.  The  young  folks  went  upon  the  quarter-deck  and 
danced.  Some  of  their  Jacks  played  very  well  upon  the 
violin  and  German  flute.  The  brig  bears  the  Continental 
colors,  and  was  fitted  out  by  the  Colony  of  Connecticut. 
As  we  set  off  from  the  brig,  they  fired  their  guns  in  honor 


1776-1  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  187 

of  us,  a   ceremony  I  would  very  readily  have  dispensed 
with. 

I  pity  you,  and  feel  for  you  under  all  the  difficulties  you 
have  to  encounter.  My  daily  petitions  to  Heaven  for  you 
are  that  you  may  have  health,  wisdom,  and  fortitude  suffi 
cient  to  carry  you  through  the  great  and  arduous  business 
in  which  you  are  engaged,  and  that  your  endeavors  may 
be  crowned  with  success.  Canada  seems  a  dangerous  and 
ill-fated  place.  It  is  reported  here  that  General  Thomas 
is  no  more,  that  he  took  the  small-pox,  and  died  with  it. 
Every  day  some  circumstance  arises  which  shows  me  the 
importance  of  having  the  distemper  in  youth.  Dr.  Bulfinch 
has  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  leave  to  open  a  hospi 
tal  somewhere,  and  it  will  be  granted  him.  I  shall,  with 
all  the  children,  be  one  of  the  first  class,  you  may  depend 
upon  it. 

I  have  just  this  moment  heard  that  the  brig  which  I 
was  on  board  of  on  Saturday,  and  which  sailed  yesterday 
morning  from  this  place,  fell  in  with  two  transports,  having 
each  of  them  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  on  board,  and  took 
them,  and  has  brought  them  into  Nantasket  Roads,  under 
cover  of  the  guns  which  are  mounted  there.  I  will  add 
further  particulars  as  soon  as  I  am  informed. 

I  am  now  better  informed,  and  will  give  you  the  truth. 
The  brig  Defence,  accompanied  by  a  small  privateer,  sailed 
in  concert  Sunday  morning.  About  twelve  o'clock  they 
discovered  two  transports,  and  made  for  them.  Two  pri 
vateers,  which  were  small,  had  been  in  chase  of  them,  but 
finding  the  enemy  was  of  much  larger  force,  had  run 
under  Cohasset  rocks.  The  Defence  gave  a  signal  gun  to 
bring  them  out.  Captain  Burk,  who  accompanied  the 
Defence,  being  a  prime  sailer,  he  came  up  first,  and  poured 
a  broadside  on  board  a  sixteen  gun  brig.  The  Defence 
soon  attacked  her  upon  her  bows.  An  obstinate  engage 
ment  ensued.  There  was  a  continual  blaze  upon  all  sides 
for  many  hours,  and  it  was  near  midnight  before  they 
struck.  In  the  engagement,  the  Defence  lost  one  man,  and 
five  wounded.  With  Burk,  not  one  man  received  any 
damage;  on  board  the  enemy,  fourteen  killed,  among 


188  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

whom  was  a  major,  and  sixty  wounded.  They  are  part  of 
the  Highland  soldiers.  The  other  transport  mounted  six 
guns.  When  the  fleet  sailed  out  of  this  harbor  last  week, 
they  blew  up  the  lighthouse.  They  met  six  transports 
coming  in,  which  they  carried  off  with  them.  I  hope  we 
shall  soon  be  in  such  a  posture  of  defense  as  to  bid  them 
defiance. 

I  feel  no  great  anxiety  at  the  large  armament  designed 
against  us.  The  remarkable  interpositions  of  Heaven  in 
our  favor  cannot  be  too  gratefully  acknowledged.  He  who 
fed  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness,  "  who  clothes  the  lilies 
of  the  field,  and  feeds  the  young  ravens  when  they  cry," 
will  not  forsake  a  people  engaged  in  so  righteous  a  cause, 
if  we  remember  his  loving-kindness.  We  wanted  powder, 
—  we  have  a  supply.  We  wanted  arms,  —  we  have  been 
favored  in  that  respect.  We  wanted  hard  money,  —  twen 
ty-two  thousand  dollars,  and  an  equal  value  in  plate,  are 
delivered  into  our  hands. 

You  mention  your  peas,  your  cherries,  and  your  straw- 
ries,  etc.  Ours  are  but  just  in  blossom.  We  have  had 
'the  coldest  spring  I  ever  knew.  Things  are  three  weeks 
behind  what  they  generally  used  to  be.  The  corn  looks 
poor.  The  season  now  is  rather  dry.  I  believe  I  did  not 
understand  you,  when  in  a  former  letter  you  said,  "  I 
want  to  resign  my  office,  for  a  thousand  reasons."  If  you 
mean  that  of  judge,  I  know  not  what  to  say.  I  know  it 
will  be  a  difficult  and  arduous  station  ;  but,  divesting  my 
self  of  private  interest,  which  would  lead  me  to  be  against 
your  holding  that  office,  I  know  of  no  person  who  is  so 
well  calculated  to  discharge  the  trust,  or  who  I  think  would 

act  a  more  conscientious  part. 

/ 

113.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

„  -Philadelphia,  26  June,  1776. 

I  HAVE  written  so  seldom  to  you,  that  I  am  really 
grieved  at  the  recollection.  I  wrote  you  a  few  lines  June 
2,  and  a  few  more  June  16.  These  are  all  that  I  have 
written  to  you  since  this  month  began.  It  has  been  the 
busiest  month  that  ever  I  saw.  I  have  found  time  to  inclose 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAM&-  189 

all  the  newspapers,  which  I  hope  you  will  receive  in  due 
time. 

Our  misfortunes  in  Canada  are  enough  to  melt  a  heart 
of  stone.  The  small-pox  is  ten  times  more  terrible  than 
Britons,  Canadians,  and  Indians,  together.  This  was  the 
cause  of  our  precipitate  retreat  from  Quebec.  This  the 
cause  of  our  disgraces  at  the  Cedars.  I  don't  mean  that 
this  was  all.  There  has  been  want  approaching  to  famine, 
as  well  as  pestilence.  And  these  discouragements  have  so 
disheartened  our  officers  that  none  of  them  seem  to  act 
with  prudence  and  firmness.  But  these  reverses  of  for 
tune  don't  discourage  me.  It  was  natural  to  expect  them, 
and  we  ought  to  be  prepared  in  our  minds  for  greater 
changes  and  more  melancholy  scenes  still.  It  is  an  an 
imating  cause,  and  brave  spirits  are  not  subdued  with 
difficulties. 

Amidst  all  our  gloomy  prospects  in  Canada,  we  receive 
some  pleasure  from  Boston.  I  congratulate  you  on  your 
victory  over  your  enemies  in  the  harbor.  This  has  long 
lain  near  my  heart,  and  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  think 
that  what  was  so  much  wished  is  accomplished.  I  hope 
our  people  will  now  make  the  lower  harbor  impregnable, 
and  never  again  suffer  the  flag  of  a  tyrant  to  fly  within 
any  part  of  it. 

The  Congress  have  been  pleased  to  give  me  more  busi 
ness  than  I  am  qualified  for,  and  more  than,  I  fear,  I  can 
go  through,  with  safety  to  my  health.  They  have  estab 
lished  a  board  of  war  and  ordnance  and  made  me  Presi 
dent  of  it,  an  honor  to  which  I  never  aspired,  a,  trust  to 
which  I  feel  myself  vastly  unequal.  But  I  am  determined 
to  do  as  well  as  I  can,  and  make  industry  supply,  in  some 
degree,  the  place  of  abilities  and  experience.  The  Board 
sits  every  morning  and  every  evening.  This  with  constant 
attendance  in  Congress  will  so  entirely  engross  my  time, 
that  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  able  to  write  you  so  often  as  I 
have.  But  I  will  steal  time  to  write  to  you. 

The  small-pox  !  the  small-pox  !  what  shall  we  do  with 
it  ?  I  could  almost  wish  that  an  inoculating  hospital  was 
opened  in  every  town  in  New  England.  It  is  some  small 


190  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

consolation  that  the  scoundrel  savages  have  taken  a  large 
dose  of  it.  They  plundered  the  baggage  and  stripped  off 
the  clothes  of  our  men  who  had  the  small-pox  out  full 
upon  them  at  the  Cedars. 

114.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

3  July,  1776. 

YOUR  favor  of  17  June,  dated  at  Plymouth,  was  handed 
me  by  yesterday's  post.  I  was  much  pleased  to  find  that 
you  had  taken  a  journey  to  Plymouth,  to  see  your  friends, 
in  the  long  absence  of  one  whom  you  may  wish  to  see. 
The  excursion  will  be  an  amusement,  and  will  serve  your 
health.  How  happy  would  it  have  made  me  to  have  taken 
this  journey  with  you  ! 

I  was  informed,  a  day  or  two  before  the  receipt  of  your 
letter,  that  you  was  gone  to  Plymouth,  by  Mrs.  Polly 
Palmer,  who  was  obliging  enough,  in  your  absence,  to  send 
me  the  particulars  of  the  expedition  to  the  lower  harbor 
against  the  men-of-war.  Her  narration  is  executed  with  a 
precision  and  perspicuity,  which  would  have  become  the  pen 
of  an  accomplished  historian. 

I  am  very  glad  you  had  so  good  an  opportunity  of  see 
ing  one  of  our  little  American  men-of-war.  Many  ideas 
new  to  you  must  have  presented  themselves  in  such  a 
scene  ;  and  you  will,  in  future,  better  understand  the  rela 
tions  of  sea  engagements. 

I  rejoice  extremely  at  Dr.  Bulfinch's  petition  to  open  a 
hospital.  But  I  hope  the  business  will  be  done  upon  a 
larger  scale.  I  hope  that  one  hospital  will  be  licensed  in 
every  county,  if  not  in  every  town.  I  am  happy  to  find 
you  resolved  to  be  with  the  children  in  the  first  class.  Mr. 
Whitney  and  Mrs.  Katy  Quincy  are  cleverly  through  in 
oculation  in  this  city. 

The  information  you  give  me  of  our  friend's  refusing 
his  appointment  has  given  me  much  pain,  grief,  and 
anxiety.  I  believe  I  shall  be  obliged  to  follow  his  ex 
ample.  I  have  not  fortune  enough  to  support  my  family, 
and,  what  is  of  more  importance,  to  support  the  dignity  of 
that  exalted  station.  It  is  too  high  and  lifted  up  for  me, 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  191 

who  delight  in  nothing  so  much  as  retreat,  solitude,  silence, 
and  obscurity.  In  private  life,  no  one  has  a  right  to 
censure  me  for  following  my  own  inclinations  in  retira- 
meut,  simplicity,  and  frugality.  In  public  life,  every  man 
has  a  right  to  remark  as  he  pleases.  At  least  he  thinks 
so.  /  •. 

Yesterday,  the  greatest  question  was  decided  which  evey*~ 
was  debated  in   America,   and   a  greater,  perhaps,  never 
was  nor  will  be  decided  among  men.      A  Resolution  was 
passed  without  one  dissenting  Colony  "  that  these  United    ' 
Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent 
States,  and  as  such  they  have,  and  of  right  ought  to  have, 
full  power  to  make  war,  conclude  peace,   establish    com 
merce,  and  to  do   all  other   acts   and   things  which  other 
States  may  rightfully  do."     You  will  see,  in  a'few  days,  a 
Declaration  setting  forth  the  causes  which  have  impelled 
us  to   this   mighty  revolution,  and   the   reasons  which  will       / 
justify  it  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man.     A  plan  of  con 
federation  will  be  taken  up  in  a  few  days. 

When  I  look  back  to  the  year  1761,  and  recollect  the 
argument  concerning  writs  of  assistance  in  the  superior 
court,  which  I  have  hitherto  considered  as  the  commence 
ment  of  this  controversy  between  Great  Britain  and  Amer 
ica,  and  run  through  the  whole  period  from  that  time  to 
this,  and  recollect  the  series  of  political  events,  the  chain 
of  causes  and  effects,  I  am  surprised  at  the  suddenness  as 
well  as  greatness  of  this  revolution.  Britain  has  been 
filled  with  folly,  and  America  with  wisdom ;  at  least,  this  is 
my  judgment.  Time  must  determine.  It  is  the  will  of 
Heaven  that  the  two  countries  should  be  sundered  forever. 
It  may  be  the  will  of  Heaven  that  America  shall  suffer 
calamities  still  more  wasting,  and  distresses  yet  more  dread 
ful.  If  this  is  to  be  the  case,  it  will  have  this  good  effect 
at  least.  It  will  inspire  us  with  many  virtues  which  we 
have  not,  and  correct  many  errors,  follies,  and  vices  which 
threaten  to  disturb,  dishonor,  and  destroy  us.  The  furnace 
of  affliction  produces  refinement  in  states  as  well  as  individ 
uals.  And  the  new  Governments  we  are  assuming  in  every 
part  will  require  a  purification  from  our  vices,  and  an  aug- 


192  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

mentation  of  our  virtues,  or  they  will  be  no  blessings.  The 
people  will  have  unbounded  power,  and  the  people  are  ex 
tremely  addicted  to  corruption  and  venality,  as  well  as  the 
great.  But  I  must  submit  all  my  hopes  and  fears  to  an 
overruling  Providence,  in  which,  unfashionable  as  the  faith 
may  be,  I  firmly  believe. 

115.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

-rfiladelphia,  3  July,  1776. 

HAD  a  Declaration  of  Independency  been  made  seven 
months  ago,  it  would  have  been  attended  with  many  great 
and  glorious  effects.  We  might,  before  this  hour,  have 
formed  alliances  with  foreign  states.  We  should  have 
mastered  Quebec,  and  been  in  possession  of  Canada.  You 
will  perhaps  wonder  how  such  a  declaration  would  have 
influenced  our  affairs  in  Canada,  but  if  I  could  write  with 
freedom,  I  could  easily  convince  you  that  it  would,  and  ex 
plain  to  you  the  manner  how.  Many  gentlemen  in  high 
stations,  and  of  great  influence,  have  been  duped  by  the 
ministerial  bubble  of  Commissioners  to  treat.  And  in  real, 
sincere  expectation  of  this  event,  which  they  so  fondly 
wished,  they  have  been  slow  and  languid  in  promoting 
measures  for  the  reduction  of  that  province.  Others  there 
are  in  the  Colonies  who  really  wished  that  our  enterprise 
in  Canada  would  be  defeated,  that  the  Colonies  might  be 
brought  into  danger  and  distress  between  two  fires,  and  be 
thus  induced  to  submit.  Others  really  wished  to  defeat  the 
expedition  to  Canada,  lest  the  conquest  of  it  should  elevate 
the  minds  of  the  people  too  much  to  hearken  to  those  terms 
of  reconciliation  which,  they  believed,  would  be  offered  us. 
These  jarring  views,  wishes,  and  designs  occasioned  an  op 
position  to  many  salutary  measures  which  were  proposed 
for  the  support  of  that  expedition,  and  caused  obstructions, 
embarrassments,  and  studied  delays,  which  have  finally  lost 
us  the  province. 

All  these  causes,  however,  in  conjunction  would  not  have 
disappointed  us,  if  it  had  not  been  for  a  misfortune  which 
could  not  be  foreseen,  and  perhaps  could  not  have  been 
prevented  ;  I  mean  the  prevalence  of  the  small-pox  among 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  103 

our  troops.  This  fatal  pestilence  completed  our  destruction. 
It  is  a  frown  of  Providence  upon  us,  which  we  ought  to  lay 
to  heart. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  delay  of  this  Declaration  to 
this  time  has  many  great  advantages  attending  it.  The 
hopes  of  reconciliation  which  were  fondly  entertained  by 
multitudes  of  honest  and  well-meaning,  though  weak  and 
mistaken  people,  have  been  gradually,  and  at  last  totally 
extinguished.  Time  has  been  given  for  the  whole  people^ 
maturely  to  consider  the  great  question  of  independence, 
and  to  ripen  their  judgment,  dissipate  their  fears,  and  allure 
their  hopes,  by  discussing  it  in  newspapers  and  pamphlets, 
by  debating  it  in  assemblies,  conventions,  committees  of 
safety  and  inspection,  in  town  and  county  meetings,  as  well 
as  in  private  conversations,  so  that  the  whole  people,  in 
every  colony  of  the  thirteen,  have  now  adopted  it  as  their 
own  act.  This  will  cement  the  union,  and  avoid  those 
heats,  and  perhaps  convulsions,  which  might  have  been  oc 
casioned  by  such  a  Declaration  six  months  ago. 

But  the  day  is  past.  The  second  l  day  of  July,  1776$ 
will  be  the  most  memorable  epocha  in  the  history  of 
America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  that  it  will  be  celebrated  by 
succeeding  generations  as  the  great  anniversary  festival* 

1  The  practice  has  been  to  celebrate  the  4th  of  July,  the  day  upon  which  the 
form  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  agreed  to,  rather  than  the  2d,  the 
day  upon  which  the  resolution  making  that  declaration  was  determined  upon 
by  the  Congress.  A  friend  of  Mr.  Adams,  who  had  during  his  lifetime  an 
opportunity  to  read  the  two  letters  dated  on  the  3d,  was  so  much  struck  with 
them,  that  he  procured  the  liberty  to  publish  them.  But  thinking,  probably, 
that  a  slight  alteration  would  better  fit  them  for  the  taste  of  the  day,  and  gain 
for  them  a  higher  character  for  prophecy,  than  if  printed  as  they  were,  he  ob 
tained  leave  to  put  together  only  the  most  remarkable  paragraphs,  and  make 
one  letter  out  of  the  two.  He  then  changed  the  date  from  the  3d  to  the  5th, 
and  the  word  second  to  fourth,  and  published  it,  the  public  being  made  aware 
of  these  alterations.  In  this  form,  and  as  connected  with  the  anniversary  of 
our  National  Independence,  these  letters  have  ever  since  enjoyed  great  popu 
larity.  The  editor  at  first  entertained  some  doubt  of  the  expediency  of  making  a 
variation  by  printing  them  in  their  original  shape.  But  upon  considering  the 
matter  maturely,  his  determination  to  adhere,  in  all  cases,  to  the  text  prevailed. 
If  any  injury  to  the  reputation  of  Mr.  Adams  for  prophecy  should  ensue,  it  will 
be  more  in  form  than  in  substance,  and  will  not  be,  perhaps,  without  compensa 
tion  in  the  restoration  of  the  unpublished  portion.  This  friend  was  a  nephew, 
William  S.  Shaw.  But  the  letters  had  been  correctly  and  fully  printed  betbre. 
See  Niles's  Principles  and  Acts  of  the  Revolution,  p.  330. 
13 


194  FAMILJAR.  LETTERS.  [juir, 

It  ,  i- ;.  "iL  to  be  commemorated  as  the  day  of  deliverance, 
by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  God  Almighty.  It  ought  to 
solemnized  with  pomp  and  parade,  with  shows,  games, 
sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires,  and  illuminations,  from  one  end 
of  this  continent  to  the  other,  from  this  time  forward  for- 
evermore. 

You  will  think  me  transported  with  enthusiam,  but  I  am 
not.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  toil  and  blood  and  treasure 
that  it  will  cost  us  to  maintain  this  Declaration  and  support 
and  defend  these  States.  Yet,  through  all  the  gloom,  I  can 
see  the  rays  of  ravishing  light  and  glory.  I  can  see  that 
the  end  is  more  than  worth  all  the  means.  And  that  pos 
terity  will  triumph  in  that  day's  transaction,  even  although 
we  should  rue  it,  which  I  trust  in  God  we  shall  not. 

1 1 6.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

-^Philadelphia,  7  July.  1776. 

"I  HAVE  this  moment  folded  up  a  magazine  and  an  Even 
ing  Post,  and  sent  them  off  by  an  express  who  could  not 
wait  for  me  to  write  a  single  line.  It  always  goes  to  my 
heart  to  send  off  a  packet  of  pamphlets  arid  newspapers 
without  a  letter,  but  it  sometimes  unavoidably  happens, 
and  I  suppose  you  had  rather  receive  a  pamphlet  or 
newspaper  than  nothing. 

The  design  of  our  enemy  now  seems  to  be  a  powerful 
invasion  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  The  Halifax  fleet 
and  army  is  arrived,  and  another  fleet  and  army  under 
Lord  Howe  is  expected  to  join  them.  We  are  making 
great  preparations  to  meet  them  by  marching  the  militia 
of  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey  down  to  the 
scene  of  action,  and  have  made  large  requisitions  upon  New 
England.  I  hope,  for  the  honor  of  New  England  and  the 
salvation  of  America,  our  people  will  not  be  backward  in 
marching  to  New  York.  We  must  maintain  and  defend 
that  important  post,  at  all  events.  If  the  enemy  get  pos 
session  there,  it  will  cost  New  England  very  dear.  There 
is  no  danger  of  the  srnall-pox  at  New  York.  It  is  carefully 
kept  out  of  the  city  and  the  army.  I  hope  that  your 
brother  and  mine  too  will  go  into  the  service  of  their  coun 
try  at  this  critical  period  of  its  distress. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  195 

Our  army  at  Crown  Point  is  an  object  of  wretchedness 
enough  to  fill  a  humane  mind  with  horror;  disgraced,  de 
feated,  discontented,  dispirited,  diseased,  naked,  undisciplined, 
eaten  up  with  vermin,  no  clothes,  beds,  blankets,  no  med 
icines,  no  victuals  but  salt  pork  and  flour.  A  chaplain 
from  that  army  preached  a  sermon  here  the  other  day  from 
"  Cursed  is  he  that  doeth  the  work  of  the  Lord  deceit 
fully."  I  knew,  better  than  he  did,  who  the  persons  were 
who  deserved  these  curses.  But  I  could  not  help  myself, 
nor  my  poor  country,  any  more  than  he.  I  hope  that 
measures  will  be  taken  to  cleanse  the  army  at  Crown  Point 
from  the  small-pox,  and  that  other  measures  will  be  taken 
in  Xew  England,  by  tolerating  and  encouraging  inocula 
tion,  to  render  that  distemper  less  terrible. 

I  am  solicitous  to  hear  what  figure  our  new  Superior 
Court  made  in  their  eastern  circuit ;  what  business  they 
did  ;  whether  the  grand  juries  and  petit  juries  were  sworn  ; 
whether  they  tried  any  criminals,  or  any  civil  actions ; 
how  the  people  were  affected  at  the  appearance  of  Courts 
again ;  how  the  judges  were  treated  ;  whether  with  respect 
or  cold  neglect,  etc.  Every  colony  upon  the  continent  will 
soon  be  in  the  same  situation.  They  are  erecting  govern 
ments  as  fast  as  children  build  cob-houses  ;  but,  I  con 
jecture,  they  will  hardly  throw  them  down  again  so  soon. 

The  practice  we  have  hitherto  been  in,  of  ditching  round 
about  our  enemies,  will  not  always  do.  We  must  learn  to 
use  other  weapons  than  the  pick  and  the  spade.  Our 
armies  must  be  disciplined,  and  learn  to  fight.  I  have  the 
satisfaction  to  reflect  that  our  Massachusetts  people,  when 
they  have  been  left  to  themselves,  have  been  constantly 
fighting  and  skirmishing,  and  always  with  success.  I  wish 
the  same  valor,  prudence,  and  spirit  had  been  discovered 
everywhere. 

117.  JOHN   ADAMS, 

...Philadelphia,  7  July,  1776. 

IT  is  worth  the  while  of  a  person,  obliged  to  write  as 
much  as  I  do,  to  consider  the  varieties  of  style.  The 
epistolary  is  essentially  different  from  the  oratorical  and 


196  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

the  historical  style.  Oratory  abounds  with  figures.  His 
tory  is  simple,  but  grave,  majestic,  and  formal.  Letters, 
like  conversation,  should  be  free,  easy,  and  familiar.  Sim 
plicity  and  familiarity  are  the  characteristics  of  this  kind  of 
writing.  Affectation  is  as  disagreeable  in  a  letter  as  in 
conversation,  and  therefore  studied  language,  premeditated 
method,  and  sublime  sentiments  are  not  expected  in  a  letter. 
Notwithstanding  which,  the  sublime,  as  well  as  the  beauti 
ful  and  the  novel,  may  naturally  enough  appear  in  familiar 
letters  among  friends.  Among  the  ancients  there  are  two 
illustrious  examples  of  the  epistolary  style,  Cicero  and 
Pliny,  whose  letters  present  you  with  models  of  fine  writ 
ing,  which  have  borne  the  criticism  of  almost  two  thousand 
years.  In  these  you  see  the  sublime,  the  beautiful,  the 
novel,  and  the  pathetic,  conveyed  in  as  much  simplicity,  ease, 
freedom,  and  familiarity  as  language  is  capable  of. 

Let  me  request  you  to  turn  over  the  leaves  of  "  The  Pre 
ceptor  "  to  a  letter  of  Pliny  the  Younger,  in  which  he  has 
transmitted  to  these  days  the  history  of  his  uncle's  philo 
sophical  curiosity,  his  heroic  courage,  and  his  melancholy 
catastrophe.  Read  it,  and  say  whether  it  is  possible  to 
write  a  narrative  of  facts  in  a  better  manner.  It  is  copious 
and  particular  in  selecting  the  circumstances  most  natural, 
remarkable,  and  affecting.  There  is  not  an  incident  omit 
ted  which  ought  to  have  been  remembered,  nor  one  inserted 
that  is  not  worth  remembrance.  It  gives  you  an  idea  of 
the  scene,  as  distinct  and  perfect  as  if  a  painter  had  drawn 
it  to  the  life  before  your  eyes.  It  interests  your  passions 
as  much  as  if  you  had  been  an  eye-witness  of  the  whole 
transaction.  Yet  there  are  no  figures  or  art  used.  All 
is  as  simple,  natural,  easy,  and  familiar  as  if  the  story  had 
been  told  in  conversation,  without  a  moment's  premedi 
tation. 

Pope  and  Swift  have  given  the  world  a  collection  of  their 
letters  ;  but  I  think  in  general  they  fall  short,  in  the  epis 
tolary  way,  of  their  own  eminence  in  poetry  and  other 
branches  of  literature.  Very  few  of  their  letters  have  ever 
engaged  much  of  my  attention.  Gay's  letter  concerning 
the  pair  of  lovers  killed  by  lightning  is  worth  more  than 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  197 

the  whole  collection,  in  point  of  simplicity  and  elegance  of 
composition,  and  as  a  genuine  model  of  the  epistolary  style. 
There  is  a  book,  which  I  wish  you  owned,  —  I  mean  Rol 
ling  "  Belles  Lettres,"  —  in  which  the  variations  of  style 
are  explained. 

Early  youth  is  the  time  to  learn  the  arts  and  sciences, 
and  especially  to  correct  the  ear  and  the  imagination,  by 
forming  a  style.  I  wish  you  would  think  of  forming  the 
taste  and  judgment  of  your  children  now,  before  any  un 
chaste  sounds  have  fastened  on  their  ears,  and  before  any 
affectation  or  vanity  is  settled  on  their  minds,  upon  the 
pure  principles  of  nature.  Music  is  a  great  advantage ;  for 
style  depends,  in  part,  upon  a  delicate  ear.  The  faculty  of 
writing  is  attainable  by  art,  practice,  and  habit  only.  The 
sooner,  therefore,  the  practice  begins,  the  more  likely  it  will 
be  to  succeed.  Have  no  mercy  upon  an  affected  phrase, 
any  more  than  an  affected  air,  gait,  dress,  or  manners. 

Your  children  have  capacities  equal  to  anything.  There 
is  a  vigor  in  the  understanding  and  a  spirit  and  fire  in  the 
temper  of  every  one  of  them,  which  is  capable  of  ascending 
the  heights  of  art,  science,  trade,  war,  or  politics.  They 
should  be  set  to  compose  descriptions  of  scenes  and  objects, 
and  narrations  of  facts  and  events.  Declamations  upon 
topics  and  other  exercises  of  various  sorts  should  be  pre 
scribed  to  them.  Set  a  child  to  form  a  description  of  a 
battle,  a  storm,  a  siege,  a  cloud,  a  mountain,  a  lake,  a  city, 
a  harbor,  a  country  seat,  a  meadow,  a  forest,  or  almost  any 
thing  that  may  occur  to  your  thoughts.  Set  him  to  com 
pose  a  narration  of  all  the  little  incidents  and  events  of  a 
day,  a  journey,  a  ride,  or  a  walk.  In  this  way  a  taste  will 
be  formed,  and  a  facility  of  writing  acquired. 

For  myself,  as  I  never  had  a  regular  tutor,  I  never 
studied  anything  methodically,  and  consequently  never 
was  completely  accomplished  in  anything.  But,  as  I  am 
conscious  of  my  own  deficiency  in  these  respects,  I  should 
be  the  less  pardonable  if  I  neglected  the  education  of  my 
children.  In  grammar,  rhetoric,  logic,  my  education  was 
imperfect,  because  unmethodical.  Yet  I  have  perhaps 
read  more  upon  these  arts,  and  considered  them  in  a  more 
extensive  view,  than  some  others. 


198  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

1 1 8.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

.10  July. 

You  will  see,  by  the  newspapers  which  I  from  time  to 
time  inclose,  with  what  rapidity  the  colonies  proceed  in 
their  political  manoeuvres.  How  many  calamities  might 
have  been  avoided  if  these  measures  had  been  taken 
twelve  months  ago,  or  even  no  longer  ago  than  last  De 
cember  ? 

The  colonies  to  the  south  are  pursuing  the  same  maxims 
which  have  heretofore  governed  those  to  the  north.  In 
constituting  their  new  governments,  their  plans  are  re 
markably  popular,  more  so  than  I  could  ever  have  im 
agined  ;  even  more  popular  than  the  "  Thoughts  on  Gov 
ernment ;"  and  in  the  choice' of  their  rulers,  capacity, 
spirit,  and  zeal  in  the  cause  supply  the  place  of  fortune, 
family,  and  every  other  consideration  which  used  to  have 
weight  with  mankind.  My  friend  Archibald  Bullock, 
Esquire,  is  Governor  of  Georgia.  John  Butledge,  Esquire, 
is  Governor  of  South  Carolina.  Patrick  Henry,  Esquire, 
is  Governor  of  Virginia,  etc.  Dr.  Franklin  will  be  Gov 
ernor  of  Pennsylvania.  The  new  members  of  this  city  are 
all  in  this  taste,  chosen  because  of  their  inflexible  zeal  for 
independence.  All  the  old  members  left  out  because  they 
opposed  independence,  or  at  least  were  lukewarm  about 
it.  Dickinson,  Morris,  Allen,  all  fallen,  like  grass  before 
the  scythe,  notwithstanding  all  their  vast  advantages  in 
point  of  fortune,  family,  and  abilities.  I  am  inclined  to 
think,  however,  and  to  wish,  that  these  gentlemen  may  be 
restored  at  a  fresh  election,  because,  although  mistaken  in 
some  points,  they  are  good  characters,  and  their  great 
wealth  and  numerous  connections  will  contribute  to 
strengthen  America  and  cement  her  union. 

I  wish  I  were  at  perfect  liberty  to  portray  before  you 
all  these  characters  in  their  genuine  lights,  and  to  explain 
to  you  the  course  of  political  changes  in  this  province.  It 
would  give  you  a  great  idea  of  the  spirit  and  resolution  of 
the  people,  and  show  you,  in  a  striking  point  of  view,  the 
deep  roots  of  American  independence  in  all  the  colonies. 
But  it  is  not  prudent  to  commit  to  writing  such  free  specu- 


I776.J  ,70,97V  ADAMS.  199 

lations  in  the  present  state  of  things.  Time,  which  takes 
away  the  veil,  may  lay  open  the  secret  springs  of  this  sur 
prising  revolution.  But  I  find,  although  the  colonies  have 
differed  in  religion,  laws,  customs,  and  manners,  yet  in  the 
great  essentials  of  society  and  government  they  are  all 
alike. 

119.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

•""   Philadelphia,  11  July,  1776. 

You  seem  to  be  situated  in  the  place  of  greatest  tran 
quillity  and  security  of  any  upon  the  continent.  I  may  be 
mistaken  in  this  particular,  and  an  armament  may  have  in 
vaded  your  neighborhood,  before  now.  But  we  have  no 
Intelligence  of  any  such  design,  and  all  that  we  now  know 
of  the  motions,  plans,  operations,  and  designs  of  the  enemy 
indicates  the  contrary.  It  is  but  just  that  you  should  have 
a  little  rest,  and  take  a  little  breath. 

I  wish  I  knew  whether  your  brother  and  mine  have  en 
listed  in  the  army,  and  what  spirit  is  manifested  by  our 
militia  for  marching  to  New  York  and  Crown  Point.  The 
militia  of  Maryland,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
lower  counties  are  marching  with  much  alacrity,  and  a 
laudable  zeal  to  take  care  of  Howe  and  his  army  at  Staten 
Island.  The  army  in  New  York  is  in  high  spirits,  and 
seems  determined  to  give  the  enemy  a  serious  reception. 
The  unprincipled  and  unfeeling  and  unnatural  inhabitants 
of  Staten  Island  are  cordially  receiving  the  enemy,  and,  de 
serters  say,  have  engaged  to  take  arms.  They  are  an  ig 
norant,  cowardly  pack  of  scoundrels.  Their  numbers  are 
small,  and  their  spirit  less. 

It  is  some  time  since  I  received  any  letter  from  you. 
The  Plymouth  one  was  the  last.  You  must  write  me 
every  week,  by  the  post,  if  it  is  but  a  few  lines.  It  gives 
me  many  spirits.  I  design  to  write  to  the  General  Court  re 
questing  a  dismission,  or  at  least  a  furlough.  I  think  to 
propose  that  they  choose  four  more  members,  or  at  least 
three  more,  that  so  we  may  attend  here  in  rotation.  Two 
or  three  or  four  may  be  at  home  at  a  time,  and  the 
Colony  properly  represented  notwithstanding.  Indeed, 


200  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

while  the  Congress  were  employed  in  political  regulations, 
forming  the  sentiments  of  the  people  of  the  Colonies  into 
some  consistent  system,  extinguishing  the  remainders  of 
authority  under  the  crown,  and  gradually  erecting  and 
strengthening  governments  under  the  authority  of  the  peo 
ple,  turning  their  thoughts  upon  the  principles  of  polity 
and  the  forms  of  government,  framing  constitutions  for  the 
Colonies  separately,  and  a  limited  and  a  defined  Confeder 
acy  for  the  United  Colonies,  and  in  some  other  measures, 
which  I  do  not  choose  to  mention  particularly,  but  which 
are  now  determined,  or  near  the  point  of  determination,1  I 
flattered  myself  that  I  might  have  been  of  some  little  use 
here.  But  now,  these  matters  will  be  soon  completed,  and 
very  little  business  will  be  to  be  done  here  but  what  will 
be  either  military  or  commercial ;  branches  of  knowledge 
and  business  for  which  hundreds  of  others  in  our  province 
are  much  better  qualified  than  I  am.  I  shall  therefore  re 
quest  my  masters  to  relieve  me. 

I  am  not  a  little  concerned  about  my  health,  which  seems 
to  have  been  providentially  preserved  to  me,  much  beyond 
my  expectations.  But  I  begin  to  feel  the  disagreeable  ef 
fects  of  unremitting  attention  to  business  for  so  long  a 
time,  and  a  want  of  exercise,  arid  the  bracing  quality  of  my 
native  air  ;  so  that  I  have  the  utmost  reason  to  fear  an  ir 
reparable  injury  to  my  constitution,  if  I  do  not  obtain  a 
little  relaxation.  The  fatigues  of  war  are  much  less  de 
structive  to  health  than  the  painful,  laborious  attention  to 
debates  and  to  writing,  which  drinks  up  the  spirits  and 
consumes  the  strength.  I  am,  etc. 

1 20.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  13  July,  1776. 

I  MUST  begin  with  apologizing  to  you  for  not  writing 
since  the  17th  of  June.  I  have  really  had  so  many  cares 
upon  my  hands  and  mind,  with  a  bad  inflammation  in  my 
eyes,  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  write.  I  now  date  from 
Boston,  where  I  yesterday  arrived  and  was  with  all  of  our 
little  ones  inoculated  for  the  small-pox 

J  This  probably  has  reference  to  the  project  of  opening  relations  with  France, 
at  this  time  entertained  by  a  committee  of  which  the  writer  was  a  member. 


177G.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  201 

As  to  news,  we  have  taken  several  prizes  since  I  wrote 
you,  as  you  will  see  by  the  newspapers.  The  present  re 
port  is  of  Lord  Howe's  coming  with  unlimited  powers. 
However,  suppose  it  is  so,  I  believe  he  little  thinks  of  treat 
ing  with  us  as  Independent  States.  How  can  any  person 
yet  dream  of  a  settlement,  accommodations,  etc.  ?  They  have 
neither  the  spirit  nor  the  feeling  of  men.  Yet  I  see  some 
who  never  were  called  Tories  gratified  with  the  idea  of  Lord 
Howe's  being  upon  his  passage  with  such  powers ! 

Sunday,  14  July. 

By  yesterday's  post  I  received  two  letters  dated  3d  and 
4th  of  July,  and  though  your  letters  never  fail  to  give  me 
pleasure,  be  the  subject  what  it  will,  yet  it  was  greatly 
heightened  by  the  prospect  of  the  future  happiness  and 
glory  of  our  country.  Nor  am  I  a  little  gratified  when  I 
reflect  that  a  person  so  nearly  connected  with  me  has  had 
the  honor  of  being  a  principal  actor  in  laying  a  foundation 
for  its  future  greatness. 

May  the  foundation  of  our  new  Constitution  be  Justice, 
Truth,  Righteousness  !  Like  the  wise  man's  house,  may  it 
be  founded  upon  these  rocks,  and  then  neither  storms  nor 
tempests  will  overthrow  it ! 

I  cannot  but  be  sorry  that  some  of  the  most  manly  sen 
timents  in  the  Declaration  are  expunged  from  the  printed 
copy.  Perhaps  wise  reasons  induced  it. 

I  shall  write  you  now  very  often.  Pray  inform  me  con 
stantly  of  every  important  action.  Every  expression  of 
tenderness  is  a  cordial  to  my  heart.  Important  as  they  are 
to  the  rest  of  the  world,  to  me  they  are  everything. 

I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  a  fleet  which  came  up 
pretty  near  the  Light  and  kept  us  all  with  our  mouths 
open,  ready  to  catch  them,  but  after  staying  near  a  week, 
and  making  what  observations  they  could,  set  sail  and  went 
off,  to  our  great  mortification,  who  were  l  for  them  in 
every  respect.  If  our  ship  of  thirty-two  guns  which  was 
built  at  Portsmouth,  and  waiting  only  for  guns,  and  another 
at  Plymouth  in  the  same  state,  had  been  in  readiness,  we 
1  One  word  torn  off  under  the  seal. 


202  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

should  in  all  probability  have  been  masters  of  them. 
Where  the  blame  lies  in  that  respect,  I  know  not.  'T  is 
laid  upon  Congress,  and  Congress  is  also  blamed  for  not 
appointing  us  a  General.  But  Rome  was  not  built  in  a 
day. 

All  our  friends  desire  to  be  remembered  to  you,  and  fore 
most  in  that  number  stands  your  PORTIA. 

121.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

15  July. 

MY  very  deserving  friend,  Mr.  Gerry,  sets  off  to-morrow 
for  Boston,  worn  out  of  health  by  the  fatigues  of  this  sta 
tion.  He  is  an  excellent  man,  and  an  active,  able  states 
man.  I  hope  he  will  soon  return  hither.  I  am  sure  I 
should  be  glad  to  return  with  him,  but  I  cannot.  I  must 
wait  to  have  the  guard  relieved. 

There  is  a  most  amiable,  laudable,  and  gallant  spirit  pre 
vailing  in  these  middle  colonies.  The  militia  turn  out  in 
great  numbers  and  in  high  spirits,  in  New  Jersey,  Penn 
sylvania,  Maryland,  and  Delaware,  so  that  we  hope  to  resist 
Howe  and  his  myrmidons. 

Independence  is,  at  last,  unanimously  agreed  to  in  the 
New  York  Convention.  You  will  see,  by  the  newspapers 
inclosed,  what  is  going  forward  in  Virginia  and  Maryland 
and  New  Jersey.  Farewell !  farewell !  infatuated,  besotted 
step-dame.  I  have  not  time  to  add  more  than  that  I  re 
ceive  letters  from  you  but  seldom  of  late.  To-morrow's 
post,  I  hope,  will  bring  me  some.  So  I  hoped  of  last  Sat 
urday's  and  last  Tuesday's. 

122.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/       20  July. 

I  CANNOT  omit  the  opportunity  of  writing  ydu  a  line  by 
this  post.  This  letter  will,  I  suppose,  find  you,  in  some 
degree  or  other,  under  the  influence  of  the  small-pox.  The 
air  is  of  very  great  importance.  I  don't  know  your  phy 
sician,  but  I  hope  he  won't  deprive  you  of  air  more  than 
is  necessary. 

We   had   yesterday  an   express    from    General   Lee   in 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  203 

Charleston,  South  Carolina,  with  an  account  of  a  brilliant 
little  action  between  the  armament  under  Clinton  and 
Cornwallis,  and  a  battery  on  Sullivan's  Island,  which  ter 
minated  very  fortunately  for  America.  J  will  endeavor  to 
inclose  with  this  a  printed  account  of  it.  It  has  given  us 
good  spirits  here,  and  will  have  a  happy  effect  upon  our 
armies  at  New  York  and  Ticonderoga.  Surely  our  north 
ern  soldiers  will  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  outdone  by 
their  brethren  so  nearly  under  the  sun.  I  don't  yet  hear 
of  any  Massachusetts  men  at  New  York.  Our  people 
must  not  flinch  at  this  critical  moment,  when  their  country 
is  in  more  danger  than  it  ever  will  be  again,  perhaps. 
What  will  they  say  if  the  Howes  should  prevail  against 
our  forces  at  so  important  a  post  as  New  York,  for  want 
of  a  few  thousand  men  from  the  Massachusetts  ?  I  will 
likewise  send  you  by  this  post  Lord  Howe's  letter  and 
proclamation,  which  has  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag.  These 
tricks  deceive  no  longer.  Gentlemen  here,  w»ho  either 
were  or  pretended  to  be  deceived  heretofore,  now  see  or 
pretend  to  see  through  such  artifices.  I  apprehend  his 
Lordship  is  afraid  of  being  attacked  upon  Staten  Island, 
and  is  throwing  out  his  barrels  to  amuse  Leviathan  until 
his  reinforcements  shall  arrive. 

20  July. 

This  has  been  a  dull  day  to  me.  I  waited  the  arrival 
of  the  post  with  much  solicitude  and  impatience,  but  his 
arrival  made  me  more  solicitous  still.  "  To  be  left  at  the 
Post  Office,"  in  your  handwriting  on  the  back  of  a  few 
lines  from  the  Dr.  was  all  that  I  could  learn  of  you 
and  my  little  folks.  If  you  were  too  busy  to  write,  I 
hoped  that  some  kind  hand  would  have  been  found  to  let 
me  know  something  about  you.  Do  my  friends  think  that 
I  have  been  a  politician  so  long  as  to  have  lost  all  feeling  ? 
Do  they  suppose  I  have  forgotten  my  wife  and  children  ? 
Or  are  they  so  panic-struck  with  the  loss  of  Canada  as  to 
be  afraid  to  correspond  with  me  ?  Or  have  they  forgotten 
that  you  have  a  husband,  and  your  children  a  father  ? 
What  have  I  done,  or  omitted  to  do,  that  I  should  be  thus 
forgotten  and  neglected  in  the  most  tender  and  affecting 


204  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

scene -of  my  life  ?  Don't  mistake  me.  I  don't  blame  you. 
Your  time  and  thoughts  must  have  been  wholly  taken  up 
with  your  own  and  your  family's  situation  and  necessities  ; 
but  twenty  other  persons  might  have  informed. me. 

I  suspect  that  you  intended  to  have  run  slyly  through 
the  small-pox  with  the  family,  without  letting  me  know  it, 
and  then  have  sent  me  an  account  that  jou  were  all  well. 
This  might  be  a  kind  intention,  and  if  the  design  had  suc 
ceeded,  would  have  made  me  very  joyous.  But  the  secret 
is  out,  and  I  am  left  to  conjecture.  But  as  the  faculty 
have  this  distemper  so  much  under  command,  I  will  flatter 
myself  with  the  hope  and  expectation  of  soon  hearing  of 
your  recovery. 

123.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  21  July,  1776. 

LAST  Thursday,  after  hearing  a  very  good  sermon,  I 
went  with  the  multitude  into  King  Street  to  hear  the  Proc 
lamation  for  Independence  read  and  proclaimed.  Some 
field-pieces  with  the  train  were  brought  there.  The  troops 
appeared  under  arms,  and  all  the  inhabitants  assembled 
there  (the  small-pox  prevented  many  thousands  from  the 
country),  when  Colonel  Crafts  read  from  the  balcony  of 
the  State  House  the  proclamation.  Great  attention  was 
given  to  every  word.  As  soon  as  he  ended,  the  cry  from 
the  balcony  was,  "  God  save  our  American  States,"  and  then 
three  cheers  which  rent  the  air.  The  bells  rang,  the 
privateers  fired,  the  forts  and  batteries,  the  cannon  were 
discharged,  the  platoons  followed,  and  every  face  appeared 
joyful.  Mr.  Bowdoin  then  gave  a  sentiment,  "  Stability 
arid  perpetuity  to  American  independence."  After  dinner, 
the  King's  Arms  were  taken  down  from  the  State  House, 
and  every  vestige  of  him  from  every  place  in  which  it 
appeared,  and  burnt  in  King  Street.  Thus  ends  royal 
authority  in  this  State.  And  all  the  people  shall  say 
Amen. 

I  have  been  a  little  surprised  that  we  collect  no  better 
accounts  with  regard  to  the  horrid  conspiracy  at  New 
York ;  and  that  so  little  mention  has  been  made  of  it  here. 


1776.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  205 

It  made  a  talk  for  a  few  days,  but  now  seems  all  hashed 
in  silence.  The  Tories  say  that  it  was  not  a  conspiracy, 
but  an  association.  And  pretend  that  there  was  no  plot  to 
assassinate  the  General.1  Even  their  hardened  hearts 

feel the  discovery we  have  in  George  a  match  for 

"  a  Borgia  or  a  Catiline  "  —  a  wretch  callous  to  every  hu 
mane  feeling.  Our  worthy  preacher  told  us  that  he  believed 
one  of  our  great  sins,  for  which  a  righteous  God  has  come 
out  in  judgment  against  us,  was  our  bigoted  attachment  to 
so  wicked  a  man.  May  our  repentance  be  sincere. 

124.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

29  July. 

How  are  you  all  this  morning  ?  Sick,  weak,  faint,  in 
pain,  or  pretty  well  recovered  ?  By  this  time,  you  are 
well  acquainted  with  the  small-pox.  Pray,  how  do  you 
like  it? 

We  have  no  news.  It  is  very  hard  that  half  a  dozen 
or  half  a  score  armies  can't  supply  us  with  news.  We 
have  a  famine,  a  perfect  dearth  of  this  necessary  article. 
I  am,  at  this  present  writing,  perplexed  and  plagued  with 
two  knotty  problems  in  politics.  You  love  to  pick  a  po 
litical  bone.  So  I  will  even  throw  it  to  you. 

If  a  confederation  should  take  place,  one  great  question 
is,  how  we  shall  vote.  Whether  each  colony  shall  count 
one  ;  or  whether  each  shall  have  a  weight  in  proportion 
to  its  number,  or  wealth,  or  exports  and  imports,  or  a 
compound  ratio  of  all.  Another  is,  whether  Congress 
shall  have  authority  to  limit  the  dimensions  of  each  colony, 
to  prevent  those,  which  claim  by  charter,  or  proclamation, 
or  commission  to  the  south  sea,  from  growing  too  great 
and  powerful,  so  as  to  be  dangerous  to  the  rest  ? 

Shall  I  write  you  a  sheet  upon  each  of  these  questions  ? 
When  you  are  well  enough  to  read,  and  I  can  find  leisure 
enough  to  write,  perhaps  I  may. 

Gerry  carried  with  him  a  canister  for  you.  But  he  is 
an  old  bachelor,  and  what  is  worse,  a  politician,  and  what 
is  worse  still,  a  kind  of  soldier  ;  so  that  I  suppose  he  will 

1  See  Irving's  Life  of  Washington,  Vol.  II.  p.  240. 


206  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

have  80  much  curiosity  to  see  armies  and  fortifications,  and 
•nnblies,  that  you  will  lose  many  a   fine  breakfast  at  a 
time  when  you  want  them  most. 

Tell  Betsey  that  this  same  Gerry  is  such  another  as 
herself,  sex  excepted.  Plow  is  my  brother  and  friend 
Cranch  ?  How  is  his  other  self  and  their  little  selves,  and 
ours?  Don't  be  in  the  dumps,  above  all  things.  lam 
hard  put  to  it  to  keep  out  of  them,  when  I  look  at  home. 
But  I  will  be  gay  if  I  can.  Adieu. 

125.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

3  August,  1776. 

THE  post  was  later  than  usual  to-day,  so  that  I  had  not 
yours  of  July  24  till  this  evening.  You  have  made  me 
very  happy  by  the  particular  and  favorable  account  you 
give  me  of  all  the  family.  But  I  don't  understand  how 
there  are  so  many  who  have  no  eruptions  and'  no  symp 
toms.  The  inflammation  in  the  arm  might  do,  but  without 
these  there  is  no  small-pox.  I  will  lay  a  wager,  that  your 
whole  hospital  has  not  had  so  much  small-pox  as  Mrs. 
Katy  Quincy.  Upon  my  word,  she  has  had  an  abundance 
of  it,  but  is  finally  recovered,  looks  as  fresh  as  a  rose,  but 
pitted  all  over  as  thick  as  ever  you  saw  any  one.  I  this 
evening  presented  your  compliments  and  thanks  to  Mr. 
Hancock  for  his  polite  offer  of  his  house,  and  likewise  your 
compliments  to  his  lady  and  Mrs.  Katy. 

4  August. 

Went  this  morning  to  the  Baptist  meeting,  in  hopes  of 
hearing  Mr.  Stillman,  but  was  disappointed.  He  was  there, 
but  another  gentleman  preached.  His  action  was  violent 
to  a  degree  bordering  on  fury ;  his  gestures  unnatural  and 
distorted.  Not  the  least  idea  of  grace  in  his  motions,  or 
elegance  in  his  style.  His  voice  was  vociferous  and  boister 
ous,  and  his  composition  almost  wholly  destitute  of  ingenuity. 
I  wonder  extremely  at  the  fondness  of  our  people  for 
scholars  educated  at  the  southward,  and  for  southern 
preachers.  There  is  no  one  thing  in  which  we  excel  them 
more  than  in  our  University,  our  scholars  and  preachers. 
Particular  gentlemen  here,  who  have  improved  upon  their 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  207 

education  by  travel,  shine ;  but  in  general,  old  Massachu 
setts  outshines  her  younger  sisters.  Still  in  several  par 
ticulars  they  have  more  wit  than  we.  They  have  societies, 
the  Philosophical  Society  particularly,  which  excites  a  sci 
entific  emulation,  and  propagates  their  fame.  If  ever  I 
get  through  this  scene  of  politics  and  war,  I  will  spend  the 
remainder  of  my  days  in  endeavoring  to  instruct  my  coun 
trymen  in  the  art  of  making  the  most  of  their  abilities 
and  virtues;  an  art  which  they  have  hitherto  too  much 
neglected.  A  philosophical  society  shall  be  established  at 
Boston,  if  I  have  wit  and  address  enough  to  accomplish  it, 
sometime  or  other.  Pray  set  brother  Cranch's  philosoph 
ical  head  to  plodding  upon  this  project.  Many  of  his 
lucubrations  would  have  been  published  and  preserved,  for 
the  benefit  of  mankind  and  for  his  honor,  if  such  a  club 
had  existed. 

My  countrymen  want  art  and  address.  They  want 
knowledge  of  the  world.  They  want  the  exterior  and 
superficial  accomplishment  of  gentlemen,  upon  which  the 
world  has  set  so  high  a  value.  In  solid  abilities  and  real 
virtues  they  vastly  excel,  in  general,  any  people  upon  this 
continent.  Our  New  England  people  are  awkward  and 
bashful,  yet  they  are  pert,  ostentatious,  and  vain  ;  a  mix 
ture  which  excites  ridicule  and  gives  disgust.  They  have 
not  the  faculty  of  showing  themselves  to  the  best  ad 
vantage,  nor  the  art  of  concealing  this  faculty;  an  art 
and  faculty  which  some  people  possess  in  the  highest 
degree.  Our  deficiencies  in  these  respects  are  owing  wholly 
to  the  little  intercourse  we  have  with  strangers,  and  to  our 
inexperience  in  the  world.  These  imperfections  must  be 
remedied,  for  New  England  must  produce  the  heroes,  the 
statesmen,  the  philosophers,  or  America  will  make  no  great 
figure  for  some  time. 

Our  army  is  rather  sickly  at  New  York,  and  we  live  in 
daily  expectation  of  hearing  of  some  great  event.  May 
God  Almighty  grant  it  may  be  prosperous  for  America. 
Hope  is  an  anchor  and  a  cordial.  Disappointment,  how 
ever,  will  not  disconcert  us. 

If  you  will  come  to  Philadelphia  in  September,  I  will 


208  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

stay  as  long  as  you  please.    I  should  be  as  proud  and  happy 
as  a  bridegroom.     Yours. 

126.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

x  Philadelphia,    12  August,  1776. 

MR.  A.1  sets  off  to-day,  if  the  rain  should  not  prevent 
him,  with  Colonel  Whipple,  of  Portsmouth,  a  brother  of 
the  celebrated  Miss  Hannah  Whipple,  a  sensible  and  wor 
thy  man.  By  him  I  have  sent  you  two  bundles  of  letters, 
which  I  hope  you  will  be  careful  of.  I  thought  I  should 
not  be  likely  to  find  a  safer  opportunity.  By  them  you 
will  see  that  my  private  correspondence  alone  is  business 
enough  for  a  lazy  man.  I  think  I  have  answered  all  but  a 
few  of  those  large  bundles. 

A  French  vessel,  a  pretty  large  brigantine,  deeply  laden, 
arrived  here  yesterday  from  Martinique.  She  had  fifty 
barrels  of  limes,  which  are  all  sold  already,  at  such  prices 
that  the  amount  of  them  will  be  sufficient  to  load  the  brig 
with  flour.  The  trade,  we  see,  even  now,  in  the  midst  of 
summer,  is  not  totally  interrupted  by  all  the  efforts  of  our 
enemies.  Prizes  are  taken  in  no  small  numbers.  A  gen 
tleman  told  me,  a  few  days  ago,  that  he  had  summed  up  the 
sugar  which  has  been  taken,  and  it  amounted  to  three 
thousand  hogsheads,  since  which  two  other  ships  have  been 
taken  and  carried  into  Maryland.  Thousands  of  schemes 
for  privateering  are  afloat  in  American  imaginations.  Some 
are  for  taking  the  Hull  ships,  with  woolens,  for  Amster 
dam  and  Rotterdam  ;  some  are  for  the  tin  ships ;  some  for 
the  Irish  linen  ships ;  some  for  outward  bound,  and  others 
for  inward  bound  Indiamen  ;  some  for  the  Hudson's  Bay 
ships,  and  many  for  West  India  sugar  ships.  Out  of  these 
speculations,  many  fruitless  and  some  profitable  projects 
will  grow. 

We  have  no  news  from  New  York.  All  is  quiet  as  yet. 
Our  expectations  are  raised.  The  eyes  of  the  world  are 
upon  Washington  and  Howe,  and  their  armies.  The 
wishes  and  prayers  of  the  virtuous  part  of  it,  I  hope,  will 
be  answered.  If  not,  yet  virtues  grow  out  of  ailiiction. 
1  Samuel  Adams. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  209 

I  repeat  my  request  that  you  would  ask  some  of  the  mem 
bers  of  the  General  Court  if  they  can  send  me  horses ;  and 
if  they  cannot,  that  you  would  send  them.  I  can  live  no 
longer  without  a  servant  and  a  horse. 

127.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

•"  Philadelphia,  12  August,  1776. 

MR.  A.  and  Colonel  Whipple  are  at  length  gone.  Colo.- 
nel  Tudor  went  off  with  them.  They  went  away  about 
three  o'clock  this  afternoon.  I  wrote  by  A.,  and  Colonel 
Whipple  too  ;  by  the  latter  I  sent  two  large  bundles,  which 
he  promised  to  deliver  to  you.  These  middle  States  begin 
to  taste  the  sweets  of  war.  Ten  thousand  difficulties  and 
wants  occur,  which  they  had  no  conception  of  before. 
Their  militia  are  as  clamorous,  and  impatient  of  discipline, 
and  mutinous  as  ours,  and  more  so.  There  has  been  sel 
dom  less  than  four  thousand  men  in  this  city  at  a  time,  for 
a  fortnight  past,  on  their  march  to  New  Jersey.  Here  they 
wait,  until  we  grow  very  angry  about  them,  for  canteens, 
camp  kettles,  blankets,  tents,  shoes,  hose,  arms,  flints,  and. 
other  dittoes,  while  we  are  under  a  very  critical  solicitude- 
for  our  army  at  New  York,  on  account  of  the  insufficiency 
of  men. 

I  want  to  be  informed  of  the  state  of  things  with  you ; 
whether  there  is  a  scarcity  of  provisions  of  any  kind,  of 
West  India  articles,  of  clothing.  Whether  any  trade  is, 
carried  on,  any  fishery.  Whether  any  vessels  arrive  from, 
abroad,  or  whether  any  go  to  sea  upon  foreign  voyages.  I 
wish  to  know,  likewise,  what  posture  of  defense  you  are 
in.  What  fortifications  are  at  Nantasket,  at  Long  Island, 
Pettick's  Island,  etc.,  and  what  men  and  officers  there  are  to 
garrison  them.  We  hear  nothing  from  the  Massachusetts, 
lately,  in  comparison  of  what  we  did  when  the  army  was 
before  Boston. 

I  must  not  conclude  without  repeating  my  request  that 
you  would  ask  some  of  the  members  of  the  General  Court 
to  send  me  horses,  and  if  they  cannot,  to-  send  them  your 
self. 

14 


210  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

128.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/'  Philadelphia,  14  August,  1776. 

THIS  is  the  anniversary  or  a,  memorable  day  in  the  his 
tory  of  America.  A  day  when  the  principle  of  American 
resistance  and  independence  was  first  asserted  and  carried 
into  action.  The  stamp  office  fell  before  the  rising  spirit 
of  our  countrymen.1  It  is  not  impossible  that  the  two 
grateful  brothers  may  make  their  grand  attack  this  very 
day.  If  they  should,  it  is  possible  it  may  be  more  glorious 
for  this  country  than  ever ;  it  is  certain  it  will  become 
more  memorable. 

I  am  put  upon  a  committee  to  prepare  a  device  for  a 
golden  medal,  to  commemorate  the  surrender  of  Boston  to 
the  American  arms,  and  upon  another  to  prepare  devices 
for  .a  great  seal  for  the  confederated  States.  There  is  a 
gentleman  here  of  French  extraction,  whose  name  is  Du 
Simitiere,  a  painter  by  profession,  whose  designs  are  very 
ingenious,  and  his  drawings  well  executed.  He  has  been 
applied  to  for  his  advice.  I  waited  on  him  yesterday,  and 
saw  his  sketch.es.  For  the  medal  he  proposes,  Liberty, 
with  her  spear  and  pileus,  leaning  on  General  Washington. 
The  British  fleet  in  Boston  harbor  with  all  their  sterns 
towards  the  town,  the  American  troops  marching  in.  For 
the  seal,  he  proposes  the  arms  of  the  several  nations  from 
whence  America  has  been  peopled,- as  English,  Scotch, 
Irish,  Dutch,  German,  etc.,  each  in  a  shield.  On  one  side 
i of  them,  Liberty  with  her  pileus,  on  the  other,  a  rifler  in 
his  uniform,  with  his  rifle-gun  in  one  hand  arid  his  toma 
hawk  in  the  other ;  this  dress  and  these  troops,  with  this 
kind  of  armor,  being  peculiar  to  America,  unless  the  dress 
was  known  to  the  Romans.  Dr.  Franklin  showed  me 
yesterday  a  book  containing  an  account  of  the  dresses  of  all 
the  Roman  soldiers,  one  of  which  appeared  exactly  like  it. 
This  M.  du  Simitiere  is  a  very  curious  man.  He  has 
begun  a  collection  of  materials  for  a  history  of  this  revolu 
tion.  He  begins  with  the  first  advices  of  the  tea  ships. 
He  cuts  out  of  the  newspapers  every  scrap  of  intelligence 
and  every  piece  of  speculation,  and  pastes  it  upon  clean 
l  Hutchinson,  Vol.  III.  p.  120  ;  Gordon,  Vol.  I.  p.  175. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  211 

paper,  arranging  them  under  the  head  of  that  State  to 
which  they  belong,  and  intends  to  bind  them  up  in  vol 
umes,  lie  has  a  list  of  every  speculation  and  pamphlet 
concerning  independence,  and  another  of  those  concerning 
forms  of  government. 

Dr.  F.  proposes  a  device  for  a  seal  :  Moses  lifting  up 
his  wand  and  dividing  the  Red  Sea,  and  Pharaoh  in  his 
chariot  overwhelmed  with  the  waters.  This  motto,  4i  Rebel 
lion  to  tyrants  is  obedience  to  God." 

Mr.  Jefferson  proposed  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  wil 
derness,  led  by  a  cloud  by  day  and  a  pillar  of  fire  by 
night ;  and  on  the  other  side,  Hengist  and  Horsa,  the 
Saxon  chiefs  from  whom  we  claim  the  honor  of  being  de 
scended,  and  whose  political  principles  and  form  of  govern 
ment  we  have  assumed. 

I  proposed  the  choice  of  Hercules,  as  engraved  by  Gri- 
belin,  in  some  editions  of  Lord  Shaftesbury's  works.  The 
hero  resting  on  his  club.  Virtue  pointing  to  her  rugged 
mountain  on  one  hand,  and  persuading  him  to  ascend. 
Sloth,  glancing  at  her  flowery  paths  of  pleasure,  wantonly 
reclining  on  the  ground,  displaying  the  charms  both  of  her 
eloquence  and  person,  to  seduce  him  into  vice.  But  this 
it  too  complicated  a  group  for  a  seal  or  medal,  and  it  is  not 
original. 

I  shall  conclude  by  repeating  my  request  for  horses  and 
a  servant.  Let  the  horses  be  good  ones.  I  can't  ride 
a  bad  horse  so  many  hundred  miles.  If  our  affairs  had 
not  been  in  so  critical  a  state  at  New  York,  I  should  have 
run  away  before  now.  But  I  am  determined  now  to  stay 
until  some  gentleman  is  sent  here  in  my  room,  and  until 
my  horses  come.  But  the  time  will  be  very  tedious. 

The  whole  force  is  arrived  at  Staten  Island. 

129.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  14  August,  1776. 

MR.  SMITH  1  called  upon  me  to-day  and  told  me  he 
should  set  out  to-morrow  for  Philadelphia ;  desired  I  would 

i  Mr.  B.  Smith,  from  South  Carolina,  who  had  paid  a  visit  to  Boston  at  this 
time. 


212  FAMILIAR   LETTERS.  [August, 

write  by  him.  I  have  shown  him  all  the  civility  in  my 
power,  since  he  has  been  here,  though  not  all  I  have 
wished  to.  I  was  much  pleased  with  the  account  he  gave 
us  of  the  universal  joy  of  his  province  upon  the  establish 
ment  of  their  new  government,  and  the  harmony  subsisting 
between  every  branch  of  it.  This  State  seems  to  be  behind 
hand  of  their  neighbors.  We  want  some  master  workman 
here.  Those  who  are  capable  seem  backward  in  this  work, 
and  some  who  are  so  tenacious  of  their  own  particular  plan 
as  to  be  loath  to  give  it  up.  Some  who  are  for  abolishing 
both  House  and  Council,  affirming  business  was  never  so 
well  done  as  in  the  provincial  Congress,  and  they  perhaps 
never  so  important. 

Last  Sunday,  after  service,  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence  was  read  from  the  pulpit  by  order  of  Council.  The 
Dr.  concluded  with  asking  a  blessing  "  upon  the  United 
States  of  America  even  until  the  final  restitution  of  all 
things." 

Dr.  Chauncy's  address  pleased  me.  The  good  man  after 
having  read  it,  lifted  his  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven.  "  God 
bless  the  United  States  of  America,  and  let  all  the  people 
say  Amen." 

One  of  his  audience  told  me  it  universally  struck  them. 

I  have  no  news  to  write  you.  I  am  sure  it  will  be  none 
to  tell  you  I  am  ever  Yours  PORTIA. 

130.  ABIGAIL-  ADAMS. 

14  August,  1776. 

YOUR  letter  of  August  3  came  by  this  day's  post.  I 
find  it  very  convenient  to  be  so  handy.  I  can  receive  a 
letter  at  night,  sit  down  and  reply  to  it,  and  send  it  off  in 
the  morning. 

You  remark  upon  the  deficiency  of  education  in  your 
countrymen.  It  never,  I  believe,  was  in  a  worse  state,  at 
least  for  many  years.  The  college  is  not  in  the  state  one 
could  wish.  The  scholars  complain  that  their  professor  in 
philosophy  is  taken  off  by  public  business,  to  their  great 
detriment.  In  this  town  I  never  saw  so  great  a  neglect  of 
education.  The  poorer  sort  of  children  are  wholly  neg- 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  213 

lected,  and  left  to  range  the  streets,  without  schools,  with 
out  business,  given  up  to  all  evil.  The  town  is  not,  as 
formerly,  divided  into  wards.  There  is  either  too  much 
business  left  upon  the  hands  of  a  few,  or  too  little  care  to 
do  it.  We  daily  see  the  necessity  of  a  regular  govern 
ment. 

You  speak  of  our  worthy  brother.  I  often  lament  it, 
that  a  man  so  peculiarly  formed  for  the  education  of  youth, 
and  so  well  qualified  as  he  is  in  many  branches  of  litera 
ture,  excelling  in  philosophy  and  the  mathematics,  should 
not  be  employed  in  some  public  station.  I  know  not  the 
person  who  would  make  half  so  good  a  successor  to  Dr. 
Winthrop.  He  has  a  peculiar,  easy  manner  of  communicat 
ing  his  ideas  to  youth ;  and  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and 
the  purity  of  his  morals,  without  an  affected  austerity,  must 
have  a  happy  effect  upon  the  minds  of  pupils.1 

If  you  complain  of  neglect  of  education  in  sons,  what 
shall  I  say  with   regard  to  daughters,  who  every  day  ex 
perience  the  want  of  it  ?     With  regard  to  the  education  of 
my  own  children,  I  find  myself  soon  out  of  my  depth,  desti-  { 
tute  and  deficient  in  every  part  of  education. 

I  most  sincerely  wish  that  some  more  liberal  plan  might  \ 
be  laid  and  executed  for  the  benefit  of  the  rising  genera 
tion,  and  that  our  new  Constitution  may  be  distinguished  for 
encouraging  learning  and  virtue.  If  we  mean  to  have 
heroes,  statesmen,  and  philosophers,  we  should  have  learned 
women.  The  world  perhaps  would  laugh  at  m"e~ancraccuse 
me  of  vanity,  but  you,  I  know,  have  a  mind  too  enlarged 
and  liberal  to  disregard  the  sentiment.  If  much  depends, 
as  is  allowed,  upon  the  early  education  of  youth,  and  the 
first  principles  which  are  instilled  take  the  deepest  root,  great 
benefit  must  arise  from  literary  accomplls.hments  in  women. 

Excuse  me.  My  pen  has  run  away  with  me.  I  have 
no  thoughts  of  coming  to  Philadelphia.  The  length  of  time 
I  have  and  shall  be  detained  here  would  have  prevented 
me,  even  if  you  had  no  thoughts  of  returning  till  December; 
out  I  live  in  daily  expectation  of  seeing  you  here.  Your 

1  This  probably  refers  to  Richard  Cranch,  some  mention  of  whom  is  found  in 
the  preliminary  memoir. 


214  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

health,  I  think,  requires  your  immediate  return.  I  ex 
pected  Mr.  G would  have  set  off  before  now,  but  he 

perhaps  finds  it  very  hard  to  leave  his  mistress.  I  won't 
say  harder  than  some  do  to  leave  their  wives.  Mr.  Gerry 
stood  very  high  in  ray  esteem.  What  is  meat  for  one  is 
not  for  another.  No  accounting  for  fancy.  She  is  a  queer 
dame  and  leads  people  wild  dances. 

But  hush  !  Post,  don't  betray  your  trust  and  lose  my 
letter.  PORTIA. 

131.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/*&  August,  1776. 

MY  letters  to  you  are  an  odd  mixture.  They  would 
appear  to  a  stranger  like  the  dish  which  is  sometimes  called 
omnium  gatherum.  This  is  the  first  time,  I  believe,  that 
these  two  words  were  ever  put  together  in  writing.  The 
literal  interpretation  I  take  to  be  "a  collection  of  all 
things."  But,  as  I  said  before,  the  words  having  never 
before  been  written,  it  is  not  possible  to  be  very  learned  in 
telling  you  what  the  Arabic,  Syriac,  Chaldaic,  Greek,  and 
Roman  commentators  say  upon  the  subject.  Amidst  all 
the  rubbish  that  constitutes  the  heap,  you  will  see  a  pro 
portion  of  affection  for  my  friends,  my  family,  and  country, 
that  gives  a  complexion  to  the  whole.  I  have  a  very  ten 
der,  feeling  heart.  This  country  knows  not,  and  never  can 
know,  the  torments  I  have  endured  for  its  sake.  I  am 
glad  it  never  can  know,  for  it  would  give  more  pain  to  the 
benevolent  and  humane  than  I  could  wish  even  the  wicked 
and  malicious  to  feel. 

I  have  seen  in  this  world  but  a  little  of  that  pure  flame 
of  patriotism  which  certainly  burns  in  some  breasts.  There 
is  much  of  the  ostentation  and  affectation  of  it.  I  have 
known  a  few  who  could  not  bear  to  entertain  a  selfish  de 
sign,  nor  to  be  suspected  by  others  of  such  a  meanness ;  but 
these  are  not  the  most  respected  by  the  world.  A  man 
must  be  selfish,  even  to  acquire  great  popularity.  He  must 
grasp  for  himself,  under  specious  pretenses  for  the  public 
good,  and  he  must  attach  himself  to  his  relations,  connec 
tions,  and  friends,  by  becoming  a  champion  for  their  inter- 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  215 

ests,  in  order  to  form  a  phalanx  about  him  for  his  own  de 
fense,  to  make  them  trumpeters  of  his  praise,  and  sticklers 
for  his  fame,  fortune,  and  honor. 

My  friend  "Warren,  the  late  Governor  Ward,  and  Mr. 
Gadsden  are  three  characters  in  which  I  have  seen  the 
most  generous  disdain  of  every  spice  and  species  of  such 
meanness.  The  two  last  had  not  great  abilities,  but  they 
had  pure  hearts.  Yet  they  had  less  influence  than  many 
others,  who  had  neither  so  considerable  parts  nor  any 
share  at  all  of  their  purity  of  intention.  Warren  has  both 
talents  and  virtues  beyond  most  men  in  this  world,  yet  his 
character  has  never  be'en  in  proportion.  Thus  it  always  is 
and  has  been  and  will  be.  Nothing  has  ever  given  me 
more  mortification  than  a  suspicion  that  has  been  prop 
agated  of  me,  that  I  am  actuated  by  private  views  and 
have  been  aiming  at  high  places.  The  office  of  Chief  Jus 
tice  has  occasioned  this  jealousy,  and  it  never  will  be  al 
layed  until  I  resign  it.  Let  me  have  my  farm,  family,  and 
goosequill,  and  all  the  honors  and  offices  this  world  lias  to 
bestow  may  go  to  those  who  deserve  them  better  and  de 
sire  them  more.  I  court  them  not.  There  are  very  few 
people  in  this  world  with  whom  I  can  bear  to  converse.  I 
can  treat  all  with  decency  and  civility,  and  converse  with 
them,  when  it  is  necessary,  on  points  of  business.  But  I 
am  never  happy  in  their  company.  This  has  made  me  a 
recluse  and  will  one  day  make  me  a  hermit.  I  had  rather 
build  stone  wall  upon  Penu's  hill,  than  to  be  the  first 
Prince  in  Europe,  or  the  first  General  or  first  Senator  in 
America. 

Our  expectations  are  very  high  of  some  great  affair  at 
New  York. 

132.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

s ^21  August,  1776. 

YESTERDAY  morning  I  took  a  walk  into  Arch  Street  to 
see  Mr.  Peale's  painter's  room.  Peale  is  from  Maryland, 
a  tender,  soft,  affectionate  creature.  He  showed  me  a  large 
picture  containing  a  group  of  figures,  which,  upon  inquiry, 
J  found  were  his  family :  his  mother  and  his  wife's  mother, 


216  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

himself  and  his  wife,  his  brothers  and  sisters,  and  his  chil 
dren,  sons  and  daughters,  all  young.  There  was  a  pleasant, 
a  happy  cheerfulness  in  their  countenances,  and  a  familiar 
ity  in  their  air  towards  each  other. 

He  showed  me  one  moving  picture.  His  wife,  all  bathed 
in  tears,  with  a  child  about  six  months  old  laid  out  upon 
her  lap.  This  picture  struck  me  prodigiously.  He  has  a 
variety  of  portraits,  very  well  done,  but  not  so  well  as  Cop 
ley's  portraits.  Copley  is  the  greatest  master  that  ever 
was  in  America.  His  portraits  far  exceed  West's.  Peale 
has  taken  General  Washington,  Dr.  Franklin,  Mrs.  "Wash 
ington,  Mrs.  Rush,  Mrs.  Hopkinson,  Mr.  Blair  McClen- 
achan  and  his  little  daughter  in  one  picture,  his  lady  and 
her  little  son  in  another.  Peale  showed  me  some  books 
upon  the  art  of  painting.  Among  the  rest  one  by  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  the  President  of  the  English  Academy 
of  Painters,  by  whom  the  pictures  of  General  Con  way  and 
Colonel  Barre,  in  Faneuil  Hall,  were  taken.  He  showed 
me,  too,  a  great  number  of  miniature  pictures.  Among  the 
rest,  Mr.  Hancock  and  his  lady,  Mr.  Smith,  of  South  Caro 
lina,  whom  you  saw  the  other  day  in  Boston,  Mr.  Custis, 
and  many  others. 

He  showed  me,  likewise,  draughts,  or  rather  sketches,  of 
gentlemen's  seats  in  Virginia,  where  he  had  been,  Mr.  Cor- 
bin's,  Mr.  Page's,  General  Washington's,  etc.  Also  a  va 
riety  of  rough  drawings  made  by  great  masters  in  Italy, 
which  he  keeps  as  models.  He  showed  me  several  imita 
tions  of  heads,  which  he  had  made  in  clay,  as  large  as  the 
life,  with  his  hands  only.  Among  the  rest,  one  of  his  own 
head  and  face,  which  was  a  great  likeness.  He  is  ingen 
ious.  He  has  vanity,  loves  finery,  wears  a  sword,  gold 
lace,  speaks  French,  is  capable  of  friendship,  and  strong 
family  attachments  and  natural  affections. 

At  this  shop  I  met  Mr.  Francis  Hopkinson,  late  a  Man 
damus  Counsellor  of  New  Jersey,  now  a  member  of  the 
Continental  Congress,  who,  it  seems,  is  a  native  of  Phila 
delphia,  a  son  of  a  prothonotary  of  this  county,  who  was  a 
person  much  respected.  The  son  was  liberally  educated, 
and  is  a  painter  and  a  poet.  I  have  a  curiosity  to  pene- 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  217 

trate  a  little  deeper  into  the  bosom  of  this  curious  gentle 
man,  and  may  possibly  give  you  some  more  particulars  con 
cerning  him.  He  is  one  of  your  pretty,  little,  curious,  in 
genious  men.  His  head  is  not  bigger  than  a  large  apple, 
less  than  our  friend  Peinberton,  or  Dr.  Simon  Tufts.  I 
have  not  met  with  anything  in  natural  history  more  amus 
ing  and  entertaining  than  his  personal  appearance ;  yet  he 
is  genteel  and  well  bred,  and  is  very  social.. 

I  wish  I  had  leisure  and  tranquillity  of  mind  to  amuse 
myself  with  those  elegant  and  ingenious  arts  of  painting, 
sculpture,  statuary,  architecture,  and  music.  But  I  have 
not.  A  taste  in  all  of  them  is  an  agreeable  accomplish 
ment.  Mr.  Hopkinson  has  taken  in  crayons  with  his  own 
hand  a  picture  of  Miss  Keys,  a  famous  New  Jersey  beauty. 
He  talks  of  bringing  it  to  town,  and  in  that  case,  I  shall 
see  it,  I  hope. 

133.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

•-"Philadelphia,  25  August,  1776. 

THE  day  before  yesterday,  and  yesterday,  we  expected 
letters  and  papers  by  the  post,  but  by  some  accident  or 
mismanagement  of  the  riders  no  post  is  arrived  yet  which 
has  been  a  great  disappointment  to  me.  I  watch  with 
longing  eyes  for  the  post,  because  you  have  been  very 
good,  of  late,  in  writing  by  every  one.  I  long  to  hear  that 
Charles  is  in  as  fair  a  way  through  the  distemper  as  the 
rest  of  you. 

Poor  Barrell  is  violently  ill,  in  the  next  chamber  to 
mine,  of  an  inflammatory  fever.  I  hear  every  cough,  sigh, 
and  groan.  His  fate  hangs  in  a  critical  suspense.  The 
least  thing  may  turn  the  scale  against  him.  Miss  Quincy 
is  here,  very  humanely  employed  in  nursing  him.  This 
goodness  does  her  honor.  Mr.  Paine  has  recovered  of  his 
illness,  and,  by  present  appearances,  is  in  better  health  than 
before.  I  hope  it  will  not  be  my  fate  to  be  sick  here. 
Indeed,  I  am  not  much  afraid  of  these  acute  disorders ; 
mine  are  more  chronical,  nervous,  and  slow.  I  must  have 
a  ride.  I  cannot  make  it  do  without  it. 

We    are    now    approaching    rapidly    to    the    autumnal 


218  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

equinox,  and  no  great  blow  has  yet  been  struck,  in  the 
martial  way,  by  our  enemies,  nor  by  us.  If  we  should  be 
blessed,  this  year,  with  a  few  storms  as  happy  as  those 
which  fell  out  last  year  in  the  beginning  of  September, 
they  will  do  much  for  us.  The  British  fleet,  where  they 
now  lie,  have  not  a  harbor  so  convenient  or  safe  as  they 
had  last  year.  Another  winter  will  do  much  for  us  too. 
"We  shall  have  more  and  better  soldiers.  "We  shall  be 
better  armed.  "We  shall  have  a  greater  force  at  sea.  We 
shall  have  more  trade.  Our  artillery  will  be  greatly 
increased,  our  officers  will  have  more  experience  and  our 
soldiers  more  discipline,  our  politicians  more  courage  and 
confidence,  and  our  enemies  less  hope.  Our  American 
commonwealths  will  be  all  completely  formed  and  or 
ganized,  and  everything,  I  hope,  will  go  on  with  greater 
vigor. 

After  I  had  written  thus  far,  the  post  came  in  and 
brought  me  your  favor  of  the  14th  of  August.  Abby  by 
this  time,  I  conclude,  is  well,  and  Charles,  I  hope,  is  broken 
out.  Don't  you  recollect,  upon  this  occasion,  Dr.  Byles's 
benediction  to  me  when  I  was  inoculated  ?  As  you  will 
see  the  piquancy  of  it  now,  more  than  ever  you  could  be 
fore,  I  will  tell  the  story. 

After  having  been  ten  or  eleven  days  inoculated,  I  lay 
lolling  on  my  bed  in  Major  Cunningham's  chamber,  under 
the  tree  of  liberty,  with  half  a  dozen  young  fellows  as  lazy 
as  myself,  all  waiting  and  wishing  for  symptoms  and  erup 
tions  ;  all  of  a  sudden  appeared  at  the  chamber  door  the 
reverend  Doctor  with  his  rosy  face,  many-curled  wig,  and 
pontifical  air  and  gait.  "  I  have  been  thinking,"  says  he, 
"  that  the  clergy  of  this  town  ought,  upon  this  occasion,  to 
adopt  the  benediction  of  the  Romish  clergy,  and,  when  we 
enter  the  apartment  of  the  sick,  to  say  in  the  foreign  pro 
nunciation,  '  Pax  tecum.' "  These  words  are  spoken  by 
foreigners,  as  the  Dr.  pronounced  them,  Pox  take  'em. 
One  would  think  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  discovery  of  the  sys 
tem  of  gravitation  did  not  require  a  deeper  reach  of 
thought  than  this  frivolous  pun. 

Your    sentiments    of    the    importance    of    education    in 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  219 

women  are  exactly  agreeable  to  my  own.  Yet  the  jfemmes 
savantes  are  contemptible  characters.  So  is  that  of  a 
pedant  universally,  how  muchsoever  of  a  male  he  may  be. 
In  reading  history,  you  will  generally  observe,  when  you 
light  upon  a  great  character,  whether  a  general,  a  states 
man,  or  philosopher,  some  female  about  him,  either  in  the 
character  of  a  mother,  wife,  or  sister,  who  has  knowledge 
and  ambition  above  the  ordinary  level  of  women,  and  that 
much  of  his  eminence  is  owing  to  her  precepts,  example,  or 
instigation,  in  some  shape  or  other.  Let  me  mention  an 
example  or  two.  Sempronius  Gracchus  and  Caius  Grac 
chus,  two  great  though  unfortunate  men,  are  said  to  have 
been  instigated  to  their  great  actions  by  their  mother,  who, 
in  order  to  stimulate  their  ambition,  told  them  that  she 
was  known  in  Rome  by  the  title  of  the  mother-in-law  of 
Scipio,  not  the  mother  of  the  Gracchi.  Thus  she  excited 
their  emulation  and  put  them  upon  reviving  the^  old  proj 
ect  of  an  equal  division  of  the  conquered  lands  (a  genuine 
republican  measure,  though  it  had  been  too  long,  neglected 
to  be  then  practicable),  in  order  to  make  their  names  as 
illustrious  as  Scipio's. 

The  great  Duke  who  first  excited  the  Portuguese  to  re 
volt  from  the  Spanish  monarchy  was  spurred  on  to  his 
great  enterprise  by  a  most  artful  and  ambitious  wife,  and 
thus  indeed  you  will  find  it  very  generally. 

134.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  25  August,  1776. 

I  SENT  Johnny  l  last  evening  to  the  post-office  for  letters. 
He  soon  returned,  and  pulling  one  from  under  his  gown 
gave  it  me.  The  young  rogue,  smiling  and  watching 
mamma's  countenance,  draws  out  another  and  then  an 
other,  highly  gratified  to  think  he  had  so  many  presents  to 
bestow. 

I  took  the  liberty  of  sending  my  compliments  to  General 
Lincoln,  and  asking  him  some  questions  which  you  proposed 
to  me,  but  which  I  was  totally  unable  to  answer,2  and  he 
has  promised  a  particular  reply  to  them. 

1  John  Quincy  Adams,  at  this  time  nine  years  old. 

2  See  the  letter  of  the  12th  of  August,  p.  209. 


220  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

As  to  provisions,  there  is  no  scarcity.  'Tis  true  they 
are  high,  but  that  is  more  owing  to  the  advanced  price  of 
labor  than  the  scarcity.  English  goods  of  every  kind  are 
not  purchasable,  at  least  by  me.  They  are  extravagantly 
high.  West  India  goods  articles  are  very  high,  all  except 
sugars,  which  have  fallen  half  since  I  came  into  town.  Our 
New  England  rum  is  four  shillings  per  gallon  ;  molasses 
the  same  price  ;  loaf  sugar  two  and  fourpeuce  ;  cotton-wool 
four  shillings  per  pound  ;  sheep's  wool  two  shillings  ;  flax 
one  and  sixpence.  In  short,  one  hundred  pounds  two  years 
ago  would  purchase  more  than  two  will  now. 

House  rent  in  this  town  is  very  low.  Some  of  the  best 
and  genteelest  houses  rent  for  twenty  pounds  a  year.  Ben 
Hallowell's  has  been  offered  for  ten,  and  Mr.  Chardon's  for 
thirteen  pounds  six  shillings  and  eight  pence. 

The  privateer  Independence,  which  sailed  from  Plymouth 
about  three  weeks  ago,  has  taken  a  Jamaica  man  laden  with 
sugars,  and  sent  her  into  Marblehead  last  Saturday.  I  hear 
the  Defence  has  taken  another.  I  think  we  make  a  fine 
haul  of  prizes. 

Colonel  Quincy  desires  me  to  ask  you  whether  you  have 
received  a  letter  from  him ;  he  wrote  you  some  time  ago. 

I  like  Dr.  Franklin's  device  for  a  seal.  It  is  such  a 
one  as  will  please  most ;  at  least  it  will  be  most  agree 
able  to  the  spirit  of  New  England.1 

We  have  not  any  news  here  —  anxiously  waiting  the 
event,  and  in  daily  expectation  of  hearing  tidings  from 
New  York.  Heaven  grant  they  may  be  glorious  for  our 
country  and  countrymen.  Then  will  I  glory  in  being  an 
American.  Ever,  Ever  yours,  PORTIA. 

P.  S.  We  are  in  such  want  of  lead  as  to  be  obliged  to 
take  down  the  leads  from  the  windows  in  this  town. 

135.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  29  August,  1776. 

I  HAVE  spent  the  three  days  past  almost  entirely  with 
you.     The   weather  has  been   stormy.     I  have   had  little 
company,  and  I  have  amused  myself  in  my  closet,  reading 
1  See  Letter  No.  128,  p.  211. 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  221 

over  the  letters  I  have  received  from  you  since  I  have 
been  here. 

I  have  possession  of  my  aunt's  chamber,  in  which,  you 
know,  is  a  very  convenient,  pretty  closet,  with  a  window 
which  looks  into  her  flower  garden.  In  this  closet  are  a 
number  of  bookshelves,  which  are  but  poorly  furnished. 
However  I  have  a  pretty  little  desk  or  cabinet  here,  where 
I  write  all  my  letters  and  keep  my  papers,  unmolested 
by  any  one.  I  do  not  covet  my  neighbor's  goods,  but  I 
should  like  to  be  the  owner  of  such  conveniences.  I  always 
had  a  fancy  for  a  closet  with  a  window,  which  I  could 
more  particularly  call  my  own. 

I  feel  anxious  for  a  post  day,  and  am  full  as  solicitous 
for  two  letters  a  week,  and  as  uneasy  if  I  do  not  get  them, 
as  I  used  to  be  when  I  got  but  one  in  a  month  or  five 
weeks.  Thus  do  I  presume  upon  indulgence,  and  this  is 
human  nature.  It  brings  to  my  mind  a  sentiment  of  one 
pf  your  correspondents,  to  wit,  that  "  man  is  the  only 
animal  who  is  hungry  with  his  belly  full." 

Last  evening  Dr.  Cooper  came  in  and  brought  me  your 
favor,  from  the  post-office,  of  August  16,  and  Colonel 
Whipple  arrived  yesterday  morning  and  delivered  to  me 
the  two  bundles  you  sent  and  a  letter  of  the  12th  of 
August.  They  have  already  afforded  me  much  amuse 
ment,  and  I  expect  much  more  from  them. 

I  am  sorry  to  find  from  your  last,  as  well  as  from  some 
others  of  your  letters,  that  you  feel  so  dissatisfied  with  the 
office  to  which  you  are  chosen.  Though  in  your  acceptance 
of  it  I  know  you  were  actuated  by  the  purest  motives, 
and  I  know  of  no  person  here  so  well  qualified  to  dis 
charge  the  important  duties  of  it,  yet  I  will  not  urge  you 
to  it.  In  accepting  of  it  you  must  be  excluded  from  all 
other  employments.  There  never  will  be  a  salary  adequate 
to  the  importance  of  the  office  or  to  support  you  and  your 
family  from  penury.  If  you  possessed  a  fortune  I  would 
urge  you  to  it,  in  spite  of  all  the  fleers  and  gibes  of  minds 
which  themselves  are  incapable  of  acting  a  disinterested 
part,  and  have  no  conception  that  others  can.  I  have  never 
heard  any  one  speak  about  it,  nor  did  I  know  that  such 
insinuations  had  been  thrown  out. 


222  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

Pure  and  disinterested  virtue  must  ever  be  its  own  re 
ward.  Mankind  are  too  selfish  and  too  depraved  to  dis 
cern  the  pure  gold  from  the  baser  metal. 

I  wish  for  peace  and  tranquillity.  All  my  desire  and 
all  my  ambition  is  to  be  esteemed  and  loved  by  my  partner, 
to  join  with  him  in  the  education  and  instruction  of  our 
little  ones,  to  sit  under  our  own  vines  in  peace,  liberty,  and 
safety. 

Adieu,  my  dearest  friend !  Soon,,  soon  return  to  your 
most  affectionate  PORTIA. 

P.  S.  A  very  odd  report  has  been  propagated  in  Brain- 
tree,  namely,  that  you  were  poisoned  upon  your  return, 
at  New  York. 

136.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  5  September,  1776. 

MR.  BASS  arrived  this  day  with  the  joyful  news  that 
you  were  all  well.  By  this  opportunity  I  shall  send  you 
a  canister  of  green  tea  by  Mr.  Hare.  Before  Mr.  Gerry 
went  away  from  hence,  I  asked  Mrs.  Yard  to  send  a  pound 
of  green  tea  to  you.  She  readily  agreed.  When  I  came 
home  at  night  I  was  told  Mr.  G.  was  gone.  I  asked  Mrs. 
Y.  if  she  had  sent  the  canister.  She  said,  yes,  and  that 
Mr.  G.  undertook  to  deliver  it  with  a  great  deal  of  pleas 
ure.  From  that  time  I  flattered  myself  you  would  have 
the  poor  relief  of  a  dish  of  good  tea,  under  all  your  fa 
tigues  with  the  children,  and  under  all  the  disagreeable 
circumstances  attending  the  small-pox,  and  I  never  con 
ceived  a  single  doubt  that  you  had  received  it,  until  Mr. 
Gerry's  return.  I  asked  him,  accidentally,  whether  he  de 
livered  it,  and  he  said, "  Yes,  to  Mr.  Samuel  Adams's  lady."1 
I  was  astonished.  He  misunderstood  Mrs.  Yard  entirely ; 
for  upon  inquiry  she  affirms  she  told  him  it  was  for  Mrs. 
J.  A.  I  was  so  vexed  at  this  that  I*  have  ordered  another 
canister,  and  Mr.  Hare  has  been  kind  enough  to  undertake 
to  deliver  it.  How  the  dispute  will  be  settled  I  don't 
know.  You  must  send  a  card  to  Mrs.  S.  A.,  and  let  her 

1  This  mistake  in  the  delivery  of  the  tea  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  let 
ters  of  the  period,  and  caused  much  amusement. 


1776.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  223 

know  that  the  canister  was  intended  for  you,  and  she  may 
send  it  you,  if  she  chooses,  as  it  was  charged  to  me.  It 
is  amazingly  dear ;  nothing  less  than  forty  shillings,  law 
ful  money,  a  pound. 

I  am  rejoiced  that  my  horses  are  come.  I  shall  now  be 
able  to  take  a  ride.  But  it  is  uncertain  when  I  shall  set 
off  for  home.  I  will  not  go  at  present.  Affairs  are  too 
delicate  and  critical.  The  panic  may  seize1  whom  it  will. 
It  shall  not  seize  me.  I  will  stay  here  until  the  public 
countenance  is  better,  or  much  worse.  It  must  and  will  be 
better.  I  think  it  is  not  now  bad.  Lies  by  the  million 
will  be  told  you.  Don't  believe  any  of  them.  There  is 
no  danger  of  the  communication  being  cut  off  between  the 
northern  and  southern  colonies.  I  can  go  home  when  I 
please,  in  spite  of  all  the  fleet  and  army  of  Great  Britain. 

137.  JOHJJ  ADAMS. 

--Philadelphia,    Friday,  6  September,  1776. 

THIS  day,  I  think,  has  been  the  most  remarkable  of  all. 
Sullivan  came  here  from  Lord  Howe,  five  days  ago,  with  a 
message  that  his  lordship  desired  a  half  an  hour's  conver 
sation  with  some  of  the  members  of  Congress  in  their  pri 
vate  capacities.  We  have  spent  three  or  four  days  in  de 
bating  whether  we  should  take  any  notice  of  it.  I  have, 
to  the  utmost  of  my  abilities,  during  the  whole  time,  op 
posed  our  taking  any  notice  of  it.  But  at  last  it  was  de 
termined  by  a  majority,  "  that  the  Congress  being  the  repre 
sentatives  of  the  free  and  independent  States  of  America, 
it  was  improper  to  appoint  any  of  their  members  to  confer 
in  their  private  characters  with  his  lordship.  But  they 
would  appoint  a  committee  of  their  body  to  wait  on  him, 
to  know  whether  he  had  power  to  treat  with  Congress 
upon  terms  of  peace,  and  to  hear  any  propositions  that  his 
lordship  may  think  proper  to  make." 

When  the  committee  came  to  be  balloted  for,  Dr.  Frank 
lin  and  your  humble  servant  were  unanimously  chosen. 
Colonel  R.  H.  Lee  and  Mr.  Rutledge  had  an  equal  num 
ber  ;  but,  upon  a  second  vote,  Mr.  Rutledge  was  chosen.  I 
1  On  account  of  the  defeat  on  Long  Island. 


224  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

requested  to  be  excused,  but  was  desired  to  consider  of  it 
until  to-morrow.  My  friends  here  advise  me  to  go.  All 
the  stanch  and  intrepid  are  very  earnest  with  me  to  go, 
and  the  timid  and  wavering,  if  any  such  there  are,  agree 
in  the  request.  So  I  believe  I  shall  undertake  the  journey. 
I  doubt  whether  his  lordship  will  see  us,  but  the  same  com 
mittee  will  be  directed  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  army 
at  New  York,  so  that  there  will  be  business  enough,  if  his 
lordship  makes  none.  It  would  fill  this  letter-book  to  give 
you  all  the  arguments  for  and  against  this  measure,  if  I  had 
liberty  to  attempt  it.  His  lordship  seems  to  have  been  play 
ing  off  a  number  of  Machiavelian  manoeuvres,  in  order  to 
throw  upon  us  the  odium  of  continuing  this  war.  Those 
who  have  been  advocates  for  the  appointment  of  this  com 
mittee  are  for  opposing  manoeuvre  to  manoeuvre,  and  are 
confident  that  the  consequence  will  be  that  the  odium  will 
fall  upon  him.  However  this  may  be,  my  lesson  is  plain, 
to  ask  a  few  questions  and  take  his  answers. 

I  can  think  of  but  one  reason  for  their  putting  me  upon 
this  embassy,  and  that  is  this.  An  idea  has  crept  into  many 
minds  here  that  his  lordship  is  such  another  as  Mr.  Hut- 
chinson,  and  they  may  possibly  think  that  a  man  who  has 
been  accustomed  to  penetrate  into  the  mazy  windings  of 
Hutchinson's  heart,  and  the  serpentine  wiles  of  his  head, 
may  be  tolerably  qualified  to  converse  with  his  lordship. 

Sunday,  8  September. 

Yesterday's  post  brought  me  yours  of  August  29.  The 
report  you  mention, "  that  I  was  poisoned  upon  my  return 
home,  at  New  York,"  I  suppose  will  be  thought  to  be  a 
prophecy  delivered  by  the  oracle,  in  mystic  language,  and 
meant  that  I  should  be  politically  or  morally  poisoned  by 
Lord  Howe.  But  the  prophecy  shall  be  false. 

138.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  9  September,  1776. 

THIS  night  our  good  uncle  came  from  town  and  brought 
me  yours  of  August  20,  21,  25,  27,  and  28,  for  all  of  which 
I  most  sincerely  thank  you.  I  have  felt  uneasy  to  hear 


1776.]  ABIGAIL   ADAMS.  225 

from  you.  The  report  of  your  being  dead  has  no  doubt 
reached  you  by  Bass,  who  heard  enough  of  it  before  he 
came  away.  It  took  its  rise  among  the  Tories,  who, 
as  Swift  said  of  himself,  "By  their  fears  betray  their 
hopes."  How  they  should  ever  take  it  into  their  heads 
that  you  was  poisoned  at  New  York,  a  fortnight  before  that 
we  heard  anything  of  that  villain  Zedwitz's  plan  of  poison 
ing  the  waters  of  the  city,  I  cannot  tell.1  I  am  sometimes 
ready  to  suspect  that  there  is  a  communication  between  the 
Tories  of  every  State  ;  for  they  seem  to  know  all  news 
that  is  passing  before  it  is  known  by  the  Whigs. 

We  have  had  many  stories  concerning  engagements  upon 
Long  Island  this  week  ;  of  our  lines  being  forced  and  of  our 
troops  returning  to  New  York.  Particulars  we  have  not 
yet  obtained.  All  we  can  learn  is  that  we  have  been  un 
successful  there  ;  having  lost  many  men  as  prisoners,  among 
whom  are  Lord  Stirling  and  General  Sullivan. 

But  if  we  should  be  defeated,  I  think  we  shall  not  be 
conquered.  A  people  fired  like  the  Romans  with  love  of 
their  country  and  of  liberty,  a  zeal  for  the  public  good,  and 
a  noble  emulation  of  glory,  will  not  be  disheartened  or 
dispirited  by  a  succession  of  unfortunate  events.  But  like 
them  may  we  learn  by  defeat  the  power  of  becoming  in 
vincible  ! 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  by  every  post  till  you  return.. 
The  herbs 2  you  mention  I  never  received.  I  was  upon  a 
visit  to  Mrs.  S.  Adams  about  a  week  after  Mr.  Gerry  re 
turned,  when  she  entertained  me  with  a  very  fine  dish  of  green 
tea.  The  scarcity  of  the  article  made  me  ask  her  where 
she  got  it.  She  replied  that  her  sweetheart  sent  it  to  her 
by  Mr.  Gerry.  I  said  nothing,  but  thought  my  sweetheart 
might  have  been  equally  kind,  considering  the  disease  I 
was  visited  with,  and  that  was  recommended  a  bracer.  A  little 
after,  you  mentioned  a  couple  of  bundles  sent.  I  supposed 

1  Herman  Zedwitz,  a  German  who  had  received  a  lieutenant-colonel's  com 
mission  in  the  Continental  army,  appears  to  have  conceived  a  clumsy  scheme  of 
treachery,  by  communicating  to  Governor  Tryon,  among  other  things,  a  sup 
posed  plot  to  poison  the  waters  of  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was  tried  by 
court  martial  and  cashiered. 

«  Tea. 

15 


226  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

one  of  them  might  contain  the  article,  but  found  they  were 
letters.  How  Mr.  Gerry  should  make  such  a  mistake  I 
know  not.  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  sending  for  what  is 
left  of  it,  though  I  suppose  it  is  half  gone,  as  it  was  very 
freely  used.  If  you  had  mentioned  a  single  word  of  it  in 
your  letter,  I  should  have  immediately  found  out  the 
mistake. 

It  is  said  that  the  efforts  of  our  enemies  will  be  to  stop 
the  communication  between  the  Colonies  by  taking  posses 
sion  of  Hudson's  Bay.  Can  it  be  effected  ?  The  Milford 
frigate  rides  triumphant  in  our  bay,  taking  vessels  every 
day,  and  no  colony  or  Continental  vessel  has  yet  attempted 
to  hinder  her.  She  mounts  but  twenty-eight  guns,  but  is 
one  of  the  finest  sailers  in  the  British  navy.  They  com 
plain  we  have  not  weighty  metal  enough,  and  I  suppose 
truly.  The  rage  for  privateering  is  as  great  here  as  any 
where,  and  I  believe  the  success  has  been  as  great. 

I3O/JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Saturday,  14  September,  1776. 

YESTERDAY  morning  I  returned  with  Dr.  Franklin  and 
Mr.  Rutledge  from  Staten  Island,  where  we  met  Lord 
Howe  and  had  about  three  hours'  conversation  with  him. 
The  result  of  this  interview  will  do  no  disservice  to  us. 
It  is  now  plain  that  his  lordship  has  no  power  but  what  is 
given  him  in  the  act  of  Parliament.  His  commission  au 
thorizes  him  to  grant  pardons  upon  submission,  and  to  con- 
Terse,  confer,  consult,  and  advise  with  such  persons  as  he 
may  think  proper,  upon  American  grievances,  upon  the  in 
structions  to  Governors  and  the  acts  of  Parliament,  and  if 
any  errors  should  be  found  to  have  crept  in,  his  Majesty 
and  the  ministry  were  willing  they  should  be  rectified. 

I  found  yours  of  31st  of  August  and  2d  of  September. 
I  now  congratulate  you  on  your  return  home  with  the 
children.  I  am  sorry  to  find  you  anxious  on  account  of 
idle  reports.  Don't  regard  them.  I  think  our  friends  are 
to  blame  to  mention  such  silly  stories.-  What  good  do  they 
expect  to  do  by  it  ? 

My  ride  has  been  of  service  to  me.     We  were  absent 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  227 

but  four  days.  It  was  an  agreeable  excursion.  His  lord 
ship  is  about  fifty  years  of  age.  He  is  a  well-bred  man, 
but  his  address  is  not  so  irresistible  as  it  has  been  rep 
resented.  I  could  name  you  many  Americans,  in  your 
own  neigborhood,  whose  art,  address,  and  abilities  are 
greatly  superior.  His  head  is  rather  confused,  I  think. 

When  I  shall  return  I  can't  say.  I  expect  now  every 
day  fresh  hands  from  Watertown. 

140.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

15  September,  1776. 

I  HAVE  been  so  much  engaged  with  company  this  week, 
that  though  I  never  cease  to  think  of  you  I  have  not  had 
leisure  to  write.  It  has  been  High  Court  week  with  us. 
Judge  Gushing  and  lady  kept  here.  The  judges  all  dined 
with  me  one  day  and  the  bar  another  day.  The  Court  sit 
till  Saturday  night  and  then  are  obliged  to  continue  many 
causes.  The  people  seem  to  be  pleased  and  gratified  at 
seeing  justice  returning  into  its  old  regular  channel  again. 

I  this  week  received  two  letters,  one  dated  27th  and  one 
29th  July.  Where  they  have  been  these  two  months  I 
cannot  conceive.  I  hear  of  another  by  the  express,  but 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  find  it.  I  write  now  not  know 
ing  where  to  direct  to  you  ;  whether  you  are  in  the  Ameri 
can  Senate  or  on  board  the  British  fleet,  is  a  matter  of  un 
certainty.  I  hear  to-day  that  you  are  one  of  a  committee 
sent  by  Congress  to  hold  a  conference  with  Lord  Howe. 
Some  say  to  negotiate  an  exchange  of  General  Sullivan. 
Others  say  you  are  charged  with  other  matters. 

May  you  be  as  wise  as  serpents.  I  wish  to  hear  from 
you.  The  28th  of  August  was  the  last  date.  I  may  have 
letters  at  the  post-office.  The  town  is  not  yet  clear  of  the 
small-pox,  which  makes  it  difficult  for  me  to  get  a  convey 
ance  from  there  unless  I  send  on  purpose. 

I  only  write  now  to  let  you  know  we  are  all  well,  anx 
iously  longing  for  your  return. 

As  this  is  a  child  of  chance  I  do  not  choose  to  say  any 
thing  more  than  that  I  am  Sincerely  Yours. 


228  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

141.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

_^-i»Kiladelphia,  22   September,  1776. 

WE  have  at  last  agreed  upon  a  plan  for  forming  a  regu 
lar  army.  We  have  offered  twenty  dollars  and  a  hundred 
acres  of  land  to  every  man  who  will  enlist  during  the  war. 
And  a  new  set  of  articles  of  war  are  agreed  on.  I  will 
send  you,  if  I  can,  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  and  regula 
tions. 

I  am  at  a  loss  what  to  write.  News  we  have  not.  Con 
gress  seems  to  be  forgotten  by  the  armies.  We  are  most 
unfaithfully  served  in  the  post-office,  as  well  as  many  other 
offices,  civil  and  military.  Unfaithfulness  in  public  stations 
js  deeply  criminal.  But  there  is  no  encouragement  to  be 
faithful.  Neither  profit,  nor  honor,  nor  applause  is  acquired 
by  faithfulness.  But  I  know  by  what.  There  is  too  much 
corruption  even  in  this  infant  age  of  our  republic.  Virtue 
is  not  in  fashion.  Vice  is  not  infamous. 

1  October,  1776. 

Since  I  wrote  the  foregoing,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
find  time  to  write  you  a  line.  Although  I  cannot  write 
you  so  often  as  I  wish,  you  are  never  out  of  my  thoughts. 
I  am  repining  at  my  hard  lot  in  being  torn  from  you  much 
oftener  than  I  ought.  I  have  often  mentioned  to  you  the 
multiplicity  of  my  engagements,  and  have  been  once  ex 
posed  to  the  ridicule  and  censure  of  the  world  for  mention 
ing  the  great  importance  of  the  business  which  lay  upon 
me;  and  if  this  letter  should  ever  see  the  light,  it  would  be 
again  imputed  to  vanity  that  I  mention  to  you  how  busy  I 
am.  But  I  must  repeat  it  by  way  of  apology  for  not  writ 
ing  you  oftener.  From  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ten 
at  night,  I  have  not  a  single  moment  which  I  can  call  my 
own.  I  will  not  say  that  I  expect  to  run  distracted,  to 
grow  melancholy,  to  drop  in  an  apoplexy,  or  fall  into  a 
consumption  ;  but  I  do  say,  it  is  little  less  than  a  miracle 
that  one  or  other  of  these  misfortunes  has  not  befallen  me 
before  now. 

Your  favors  of  15th,  20th,  and  23d  September  are  now 
before  me.  Every  line  from  you  gives  me  inexpressible 
pleasure,  but  it  is  a  great  grief  to  me  that  I  can  write  no 


1776.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  229 

oftener  to  you.  There  is  one  thing  which  excites  my  ut 
most  indignation  and  contempt.  I  mean  the  brutality  with 
which  people  talk  to  you  of  my  death.  I  beg  you  would 
openly  affront  every  man,  woman,  or  child,  for  the  future, 
who  mentions  any  such  thing  to  you,  except  your  relations 
and  friends,  whose  affections  you  cannot  doubt.  I  expect 
it  of  all  my  friends,  that  they  resent,  as  affronts  to  me, 
every  repetition  of  such  reports. 

I  shall  inclose  to  you  Governor  Livingston's  speech ; 
the  most  elegant  and  masterly  ever  made  in  America. 
Depend  upon  it,  the  enemy  cannot  cut  off  the  communica 
tion.  I  can  come  home  when  I  will.  They  have  New 
York,  and  this  is  their  ne  plus  ultra. 

142.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

29  September,  1776. 

NOT  since  the  6th  of  September  have  I  had  one  line 
from  you,  which  makes  me  very  uneasy.  Are  you  all  this 
time  conferring  with  his  Lordship  ?  Is  there  no  commu 
nication  ?  or  are  the  post-riders  all  dismissed  ?  Let  the 
cause  be  what  it  will,  not  hearing  from  you  has  given  me 
much  uneasiness. 

We  seem  to  be  kept  in  total  ignorance  of  affairs  afc 
York.  I  hope  you  at  Congress  are  more  enlightened. 
Who  fell,  who  are  wounded,  who  prisoners,  or  their  number, 
is  as  undetermined  as  it  was  the  day  after  the  battle.1  If 
our  army  is  in  ever  so  critical  a  state  I  wish  to  know  it, 
and  the  worst  of  it.  If  all  America  is  to  be  ruined  and 
undone  by  a  pack  of  cowards  and  knaves,  I  wish  to  know 
it.  Pitiable  is  the  lot  of  their  commander.  Caesar's  tenth 
legion  never  was  forgiven.  We  are  told  for  truth  that  a 
regiment  of  Yorkers  refused  to  quit  the  city,  and  that 
another  regiment  behaved  like  a  pack  of  cowardly  villains 
by  quitting  their  posts.  If  they  are  unjustly  censured,  it  is 
for  want  of  proper  intelligence. 

I  am  sorry  to  see  a  spirit  so  venal  prevailing  every 
where.  When  our  men  were  drawn  out  for  Canada,  a  very 
large  bounty  was  given  them  ;  and  now  another  call  is 
1  The  battle  on  Long  Island. 


230  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

made  upon  us  ;  no  one  will  go  without  a  large  bounty, 
though  only  for  two  months,  and  each  town  seems  to  think 
its  honor  engaged  in  outbidding  the  others.  The  province 
pay  is  forty  shillings.  In  addition  to  that,  this  town  voted 
to  make  it  up  six  pounds.  They  then  drew  out  the  per 
sons  most  unlikely  to  go,  and  they  are  obliged  to  give  three 
pounds  to  hire  a  man.  Some  pay  the  whole  fine,  ten 
pounds.  Forty  men  are  now  drafted  from  this  town. 
More  than  one  half,  from  sixteen  to  fifty,  are  now  in  the 
service.  This  method  of  conducting  will  create  a  general 
uneasiness  in  the  Continental  army.  I  hardly  think  you 
can  be  sensible  how  much  we  are  thinned  in  this  province. 

The  rage  for  privateering  is  as  great  here  as  anywhere. 
Vast  numbers  are  employed  in  that  way.  If  it  is  neces 
sary  to  make  any  more  drafts  upon  us,  the  women  must 
reap  the  harvests.  I  am  willing  to  do  my  part.  I  believe 
I  could  gather  corn,  and  husk  it ;  but  I  should  make  a 
poor  figure  at  digging  potatoes. 

There  has  been  a  report  that  a  fleet  was  seen  in  our 
bay  yesterday.  I  cannot  conceive  from  whence,  nor  do  I 
believe  the  story. 

'T  is  said  you  have  been  upon  Staten  Island  to  hold  your 
conference.  'Tis  a  little  odd  that  I  have  never  received 
the  least  intimation  of  it  from  you.  Did  you  think  I 
should  be  alarmed  ?  Don't  you  know  me  better  than  to 
think  me  a  coward?  I  hope  you  will  write  me  everything 
concerning  this  affair.  I  have  a  great  curiosity  to  know 
the  result. 

As  to  government,  nothing  is  yet  done  about  it.  The 
Church  is  opened  here  every  Sunday,  and  the  King  prayed 
for,  as  usual,  in  open  defiance  of  Congress. 

]f  the  next  post  does  not  bring  me  a  letter,  I  think  I 
will  leave  off  writing,  for  I  shall  not  believe  you  get  mine. 

Adieu.  Yours, 

P.  S.  Master  John  has  become  post-rider  from  Boston 
to  Braintree. 


1776.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  231 

143. 


Philadelphia,  4  October,  1776. 

I  AM  seated  in  a  large  library  room  with  eight  gentlemen 
round  about  me,  all  engaged  in  conversation.  Amidst 
these  interruptions,  how  shall  I  make  it  out  to  write  a  let 
ter  ? 

The  first  day  of  October,  the  day  appointed  by  the  char 
ter  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  annual  election  of  Representa- 
tives,  has  passed  away,  and  two  counties  only  have  chosen 
members,  Bucks  and  Chester.  The  Assembly  is  therefore 
dead  and  the  Convention  is  dissolved.  A  new  Convention 
is  to  be  chosen  the  beginning  of  November.  The  proceed 
ings  of  the  late  Convention  are  not  well  liked  by  the  best 
of  the  Whigs.  Their  Constitution  is  reprobated,  and  the 
oath  with  which  they  have  endeavored  to  prop  it,  by  oblig 
ing  every  man  to  swear  that  he  will  not  add  to,  or  diminish 
from,  or  any  way  alter  that  Constitution,  before  he  can 
vote,  is  execrated. 

We  live  in  the  age  of  political  experiments.  Among 
many  that  will  fail,  some,  I  hope,  will  succeed.  But  Penn 
sylvania  will  be  divided  and  weakened,  and  rendered  much 
less  vigorous  in  the  cause  by  the  wretched  ideas  of  govern 
ment  which  prevail  in  the  minds  of  many  people  in  it. 

144.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

,  ______  -Philadelphia,  8   October,  1776. 

I  OUGHT  to  acknowledge  with  gratitude  your  constant 
kindness  in  writing  to  me  by  every  post.  Your  favor  of 
29  September  came  by  the  last.  I  wish  it  had  been  in 
my  power  to  have  returned  your  civilities  with  the  same 
punctuality,  but  it  has  not.  Long  before  this,  you  have 
received  letters  from  me,  and  newspapers  containing  a  full 
account  of  the  negotiation.  The  communication  is  still 
open,  and  the  post-riders  now  do  their  duty,  and  will  con 
tinue  to  do  so. 

I  assure  you,  we  are  as  much  at  a  loss  about  affairs  at 
New  York  as  you  are.  In  general,  our  Generals  were 
outgeneraled  on  Long  Island,  and  Sullivan  and  Stirling 
with  a  thousand  men  were  made  prisoners,  in  consequence 


232  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October. 

of  which  and  several  other  unfortunate  circumstances  a 
council  of  war  thought  it  prudent  to  retreat  from  that 
island  and  Governor's.  Island,  and  then  from  New  York. 
They  are  now  posted  at  Haerlem,  about  ten  or  eleven  miles 
from  the  city.  They  left  behind  them  some  provisions, 
some  cannon,  and  some  baggage.  Wherever  the  men  of 
war  have  approached,  our  militia  have  most  manfully  turned 
their  backs  and  run  away,  officers  and  men,  like  sturdy 
fellows;  and  their  panics  have  sometimes  seized  the  regular 
regiments.  One  little  skirmish  on  Montresor's  Island  ended 
with  the  loss  of  the  brave  Major  Henley  and  the  disgrace 
of  the  rest  of  the  party.  Another  skirmish,  which  might 
indeed  be  called  an  action,  ended  in  the  defeat  and  shame 
ful  flight  of  the  enemy,  with  the  loss  of  the  brave  Colonel 
Knowlton  on  our  part.  The  enemy  have  possession  of 
Paulus  Hook  and  Bergen  Point,  places  on  the  Jersey  side 
of  North  River.  By  this  time  their  force  is  so  divided  be 
tween  Staten  Island,  Long  Island,  New  York,  Paulus 
Hook,  and  Bergen  Point,  that  I  think  they  will  do  no  great 
matter  more  this  fall,  unless  the  expiration  of  the  term  of 
enlistment  of  our  army  should  disband  it.  If  our  new  en 
listment  fill  up  for  soldiers  during  the  war,  we  shall  do 
well  enough.  Everybody  must  encourage  this. 

You  are  told  that  a  regiment  of  Yorkers  behaved  ill,  and 
it  may  be  true  ;  but  I  can  tell  you  that  several  regiments 
of  Massachusetts  men  behaved  ill  too.  The  spirit  of  venal 
ity  you  mention  is  the  most  dreadful  and  alarming  enemy 
America  has  to  oppose.  It  is  as  rapacious  and  insatiable 
as  the  grave.  We  are  in  the  fcece  Romuli  non  republica 
Platonis.  This  predominant  avarice  will  ruin  America,  if 
she  is  ever  ruined.  If  God  Almighty  does  not  interfere 
by  his  grace  to  control  this  universal  idolatry  to  the  mam 
mon  of  unrighteousness,  we  shall  be  given  up  to  the  chas 
tisements  of  his  judgments.  I  am  ashamed  of  the  age  I 
live  in. 

You  surprise  me  with  your  account  of  the  prayers  in 
public  for  an  abdicated  king,  a  pretender  to  the  crown. 
Nothing  of  that  kind  is  heard  in  this  place,  or  any  other 
part  of  the  continent  but  New  York  and  the  place  you 


1777.1 


JOHN  ADAMS.  233 


mention.     This  practice   is  treason  against  the  State,  and 
cannot  be  long  tolerated. 

Don't  leave  off  writing  to  me.  I  write  as  often  as  I 
can.  I  am  glad  master  John  has  an  office  so  useful  to  his 
mamma  and  papa  as  that  of  post-rider.1 

145.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Dedham,  9  January,  1777. 

THE  irresistible  hospitality  of  Dr.  Sprague  and  his  lady 
has  prevailed  upon  me  and  my  worthy  fellow-traveller  to 
put  up  at  his  happy  seat.  We  had  an  agreeable  ride  to 
this  place,  and  to-morrow  morning  we  set  off  for  Provi 
dence,  or  some  other  route. 

Present  my.  affection  in  the  tenderest  manner  to  my  little 
deserving  daughter  and  my  amiable  sons.  It  was  cruel 
parting  this  morning.  My  heart  was  most  deeply  affected, 
although  I  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  appear  composed. 
May  God  Almighty's  providence  protect  you,  my  dear,  and 
all  our  little  ones.  My  good  genius,  my  guardian  angel, 
whispers  me  that  we  shall  see  happier  days,  and  that  I 
shall  live  to  enjoy  the  felicities  of  domestic  life  with  her 
whom  my  heart  esteems  above  all  earthly  blessings. 

146.  JOHN  ApAftis. 

JL—-"*''      Hartford, .13  January,  1777. 

THE  riding  has  been  so  hard  and  rough,  and  the  weather 
so  cold,  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  push  farther  than 
this  place.  My  little  colt  has  performed  very  well  hitherto, 
and  I  think  will  carry  me  through  this  journey  very  pleas 
antly. 

Our  spirits  have  been  cheered  by  two  or  three  pieces  of 
good  news,  which  Commissary  Trumbull,  who  is  now  with 
me,  tells  us  he  saw  yesterday  in  a  letter  from  General 
Washington,  who  has  gained  another  considerable  advan 
tage  of  the  enemy  at  Stony  Brook,  in  the  Jerseys,  as  Gen 
eral  Putnam  has  gained  another  at  Burlington,  and  the 
Jersey  militia  a  third.  The  particulars  you  will  have,  be- 

i  The  writer  returned  home  on  the  13th  of  October,  where  he  remained 
three  months. 


234  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [January, 

fore  this  reaches  you,  in  the  public  prints.  The  communi 
cation  of  intelligence  begins  to  be  more  open,  and  we  have 
no  apprehensions  of  danger  in  the  route  we  shall  take. 
Howe  has  reason  to  repent  of  his  rashness,  and  will  have 
more. 

My  love  to  my  dear  little  ones.  They  are  all  very  good 
children,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  continue  so.  I  will 
drop  a  line  as  often  as  I  can.  Adieu. 


147-    JOHN 

Hartford,  14  January,  1777. 

IT  is  now  generally  believed  that  General  Washington 
has  killed  and  taken  at  least  two  thousand  of  Mr.  Howe's 
army  since  Christmas.  Indeed,  the  evidence  of  it  is  from 
the  General's  own  letters.  You  know  I  ever  thought  Mr. 
Howe's  march  through  the  Jerseys  a  rash  step.  It  has 
proved  so.  But  how  much  more  so  would  it  have  been 
thought  if  the  Americans  could  all  have  viewed  it  in  that 
light  and  exerted  themselves  as  they  might  and  ought ! 
The  whole  flock  would  infallibly  have  been  taken  in  the 
net. 

The  little  nest  of  hornets  in  Rhode  Island!  Is  it  to 
remain  unmolested  this  winter?  The  honor  of  New  Eng 
land  is  concerned.  If  they  are  not  ousted,  I  will  never 
again  glory  in  being  a  New  England  man.  There  are 
now  New  England  Generals,  officers,  and  soldiers,  and  if 
something  is  not  done,  any  man  may,  after  that,  call  New 
England  men  poltroons,  with  all  niy  heart. 

148.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

v s    Fishkill,  1777. 

AFTER  a  march  like  that  of  Hannibal  over  the  Alps,  we 
arrived  last  night  at  this  place,  where  we  found  the  utmost 
difficulty  to  get  forage  for  our  horses  and  lodgings  for 
ourselves,  and  at  last  were  indebted  to  the  hospitality  of  a 
private  gentleman,  Colonel  Brinkhoff,  who  very  kindly 
cared  for  us. 

We  came  from  Hartford  through  Farmington,  South- 
ington,  Waterbury,  Woodbury,  New  Milford,  New  Fair- 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  235 

field,  the  oblong,  etc.,  to  Fishkill.  Of  all  the  mountains  I 
ever  passed  these  are  the  worst.  We  found  one  advan 
tage,  however,  in  the  cheapness  of  travelling.  I  don't  find 
one  half  of  the  discontent  nor  of  the  terror  here  that  I  left 
in  the  Massachusetts.  People  seem  sanguine  that  they 
shall  do  something  grand  this  winter. 

I  am  well  and  in  good  spirits.  My  horse  performs  ex 
tremely  well.  He  clambers  over  mountains  that  my  old 
mare  would  have  stumbled  on.  The  weather  has  been 
dreadfully  severe. 

149.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Poughkeepsie,  19  January,  1777. 

THERE  is  too  much  ice  Tn"iludson's  River  to  cross  it  in 
ferry-boats,  and  too  little  to  cross  it  without,  in  most  places, 
which  has  given  us  the  trouble  of  riding  up  the  Albany 
road  as  far  as  this  place,  where  we  expect  to  go  over  on 
the  ice ;  but  if  we  should  be  disappointed  here,  we  must  go 
up  as  far  as  Esopus,  about  fifteen  miles  farther. 

This,  as  well  as  Fishkill,  is  a  pretty  village.  We  are 
almost  wholly  among  the  Dutch,  zealous  against  the 
Tories,  who  have  not  half  the  tranquillity  here  that  they 
have  in  the  town  of  Boston,  after  all  the  noise  that  has 
been  made  about  New  York  Tories.  We  are  treated  with 
the  utmost  respect  wherever  we  go,  and  have  met  with 
nothing  like  an  insult  from  any  person  whatever.  I  heard 
ten  reflections  and  twenty  sighs  and  groans  among  my 
constituents  to  one  here. 

I  shall  never  have  done  hoping  that  my  countrymen 
will  contrive  some  coup  de  main  for  the  wretches  at  New 
port.  The  winter  is  the  time.  Our  enemies  have  divided 
their  force.  Let  us  take  advantage  of  it. 

150.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Bethlehem,  Orange  County, 
State  of  New  York,  20  January,  1777. 

THIS  morning  we  crossed  the  North  River,  at  Pough 
keepsie,  on  the  ice,  after  having  ridden  many  miles  on  the 
east  side  of  it,  to  find  a  proper  place.  We  landed  in  New 


236  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [January, 

Marlborough,  and  passed  through  that  and  Newborough, 
to  New  Windsor,  where  we  dined.  This  place  is  nearly 
opposite  to  Fishkill,  and  but  little  above  the  Highlands, 
where  Fort  Constitution  arid  Fort  Montgomery  stand. 
The  Highlands  are  a  grand  sight,  a  range  of  vast  moun 
tains  which  seein  to  be  rolling  like  a  tumbling  sea.  From 
New  Windsor  we  came  to  this  place,  where  we  put  up, 
and  now  we  have  a  free  and  uninterrupted  passage  in  a 
good  road  to  Pennsylvania. 

General  Washington,  with  his  little  army,  is  at  Morris- 
town.  Cornwallis,  with  his  larger  one,  at  Brunswick. 
Oh,  that  the  Continental  army  was  full !  Now  is  the 
time  ! 

My  little  horse  holds  out  finely,  although  we  have  lost 
much  time,  and  travelled  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary  way, 
to  get  over  the  North  River.  We  have  reports  of  our 
people's  taking  Fort  Washington  again,  and  taking  four 
hundred  more  prisoners  and  six  more  pieces  of  cannon. 
But  as  I  know  not  the  persons  who  bring  these  accounts, 
I  pay  no  attention  to  them. 

151.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^ .Easton,  at  the  Forks  of  Delaware  River,  in  the 

State  of  Pennsylvania,  24  January,  1777. 

WE  have  at  last  crossed  the  Delaware  and  are  agree 
ably  lodged  at  Easton,  a  little  town  situated  on  a  point  of 
land  formed  by  the  Delaware  on  one  side,  and  the  river 
Lehigh  on  the  other.  There  is  an  elegant  stone  Church 
here,  built  by  the  Dutch  people,  by  whom  the  town  is 
chiefly  inhabited,  and  what  is  remarkable,  because  uncom 
mon,  the  Lutherans  and  Calvinists  united  to  build  this 
Church,  and  the  Lutheran  and  Calvinist  ministers  alter 
nately  officiate  in  it.  There  is  also  a  handsome  Court 
House.  The  buildings,  public  and  private,  are  all  of 
limestone.  Here  are  some  Dutch  Jews. 

Yesterday  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Moravian 
mills  in  New  Jersey.  These  mills  belong  to  the  society  of 
Moravians  in  Bethlehem  in  Pennsylvania.  They  are  a 
great  curiosity.  The  building  is  of  limestone,  four  stories 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  237 

high.  It  is  not  in  my  power  to  give  a  particular  descrip 
tion  of  this  piece  of  mechanism.  A  vast  quantity  of  grain 
of  all  sorts  is  collected  here. 

We  have  passed  through  the  famous  county  of  Sussex 
in  New  Jersey,  where  the  Sussex  Court  House  stands,  and 
where,  we  have  so  often  been  told,  the  Tories  are  so  nu 
merous  and  dangerous.  We  met  with  no  molestation  nor 
insult.  We  stopped  at  some  of  'the  most  noted  Tory 
houses,  and  were  treated  everywhere  with  the  utmost  re 
spect.  Upon  the  strictest  inquiry  I  could  make,  I  was  as 
sured  that  a  great  majority  of  the  inhabitants  are  stanch 
Whigs.  Sussex,  they  say,  can  take  care  of  Sussex.  And 
yet  all  agree  that  there  are  more  Tories  in  that  county 
than  in  any  other.  If  the  British  army  should  get  into 
that  county  in  sufficient  numbers  to  protect  the  Tories, 
there  is  no  doubt  to  be  made,  they  would  be  insolent 
enough,  and  malicious  and  revengeful.  But  there  is  ho 
danger,  at  present,  and  will  be  none  until  that  event  takes 
place.  The  weather  has  been  sometimes  bitterly  cold, 
sometimes  warm,  sometimes  rainy,  and  sometimes  snowy, 
and  the  roads  abominably  hard  and  rough,  so  that  this 
journey  has  been  the  most  tedious  I  ever  attempted.  Our 
accommodations  have  been  often  very  bad,  but  much  better 
and  cheaper  than  they  would  have  been  if  we  had  taken 
the  road  from  Peekskill  to  Morristown,  where  the  army 
lies. 

152.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Baltimore,  2  February,  1777. 

LAST  evening  we  arrived  safe  in  this  town,  after  the 
longest  journey  and  through  the  worst  roads  and  the  worst 
weather  that  I  have  ever  experienced.  My  horses  per 
formed  extremely  well. 

Baltimore  is  a  very  pretty  town,  situated  on  Patapsco 
River,  which  empties  itself  into  the  great  bay  of  Chesa 
peake.  The  inhabitants  are  all  good  Whigs,  having  some 
time  ago  banished  all  the  Tories  from  among  them.  The 
streets  are  very  dirty  and  miry,  but  everything  else  is 
agreeable,  except  the  monstrous  prices  of  things.  We 


238  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

cannot  get  a  horse  kept  under  a  guinea  a  week.  Our 
friends  are  well. 

The  Continental  army  is  filling  up  fast,  here  and  in 
Virginia.  I  pray  that  the  Massachusetts  may  not  fail  of 
its  quota  in  season.  In  this  journey  we  have  crossed  four 
mighty  rivers  :  Connecticut,  Hudson,  Delaware,  and  Sus- 
quehannah.  The  two  first  we  crossed  upon  the  ice,  the 
two  last  in  boats ;  the  last  we  crossed  a  little  above  the 
place  where  it  empties  into  Chesapeake  Bay. 

I  think  I  have  never  been  better  pleased  with  any  of 
our  American  States  than  with  Maryland.  We  saw  most 
excellent  farms  all  along  the  road,  and  what  was  more 
striking  to  me,  I  saw  more  sheep  and  flax  in  Maryland 
than  I  ever  saw  in  riding  a  like  distance  in  any  other  State. 
We  scarce  passed  a  farm  without  seeing  a  fine  flock  of 
sheep,  and  scarce  a  house  without  seeing  men  or  women 
dressing  flax.  Several  times  we  saw  women  breaking  and 
swingling  this  necessary  article. 

I  have  been  to  meeting  and  heard  my  old  acquaintance, 
Mr.  Allison,  a  worthy  clergyman  of  this  town,  whom  I 
have  often  seen  in  Philadelphia. 

153.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^^/'     Baltimore,  3  February,  1777. 

THIS  day  has  been  observed  in  this  place  with  exem 
plary  decency  and  solemnity,  in  consequence  of  an  appoint 
ment  of  the  government,  in  observance  of  a  recommendation 
of  Congress,  as  a  day  of  fasting.  I  went  to  the  Pres 
byterian  meeting,  and  heard  Mr.  Allison  deliver  a  most 
pathetic  and  animating  as  well  as  pious,  patriotic,  and 
elegant  discourse.  I  have  seldom  been  better  pleased  or 
more  affected  with  a  sermon.  The  Presbyterian  meeting 
house  in  Baltimore  stands  upon  a  hill  just  at  the  back  of 
the  town,  from  whence  we  have  a  very  fair  prospect  of  the 
town  and  of  the  water  upon  which  it  stands,  and  of  the 
country  round  it.  Behind  this  eminence,  which  is  the 
Beacon  Hill  of  Baltimore,  lies  a  beautiful  meadow,  which 
is  entirely  encircled  by  a  stream  of  water.  This  most  beau 
tiful  scene  must  be  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  239 

Beyond  the  meadow  and  canal,  you  have  a  charming  view 
of  the  country.  Besides  the  meeting-house,  there  is  upon 
this  height  a  large  and  elegant  Court  House,  as  yet  un 
finished  within,  and  a  small  church  of  England,  in  which 
an  old  clergyman  officiates,  Mr.  Chase,  father  of  Mr.  Chase 
one  of  the  delegates  of  Maryland,  who,  they  say,  is  not  so 
zealous  a  Whig  as  his  son. 

I  shall  take  opportunities  to  describe  this  town  and 
State  more  particularly  to  you  hereafter.  I  shall  inquire 
into  their  religion,  their  laws,  their  customs,  their  manners, 
their  descent  and  education,  their  learning,  their  schools 
and  colleges,  and  their  morals.  It  was  said  of  Ulysses,  I 
think,  that  he  saw  the  manners  of  many  men  and  many 
cities  ;  which  is  like  to  be  my  case,  as  far  as  American 
men  and  cities  extend,  provided  Congress  should  continue 
in  the  rolling  humor,  which  I  hope  they  will  not.  I  wish, 
however,  that  my  mind  was  more  at  rest  than  it  is,  that  I 
might  be  able  to  make  more  exact  observation  of  men  and 
things,  as  far  as  I  go. 

When  I  reflect  upon  the  prospect  before  me,  of  so 
long  an  absence  from  all  that  I  hold  dear  in  this  world, 
I  mean,  all  that  contributes  to  my  private  personal  happi 
ness,  it  makes  me  melancholy.  God  Almighty's  prov 
idence  protect  and  bless  you,  and  yours  and  mine. 

154.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

_^^^  Baltimore,  7  February,  1777. 

I  AM  at  last,  after  a  great  deal  of  difficulty,  settled  in 
comfortable  quarters,  but  at  an  infinite  expense.  The 
price  I  pay  for  my  board  is  more  moderate  than  any  other 
gentlemen  give,  excepting  my  colleagues,  who  are  all  in 
the  same  quarters  and  at  the  same  rates,  except  Mr. 
Hancock,  who  keeps  a  house  by  himself.  The  prices  of 
things  here  are  much  more  intolerable  than  at  Boston. 
The  attempt  of  New  England  to  regulate  prices  is  ex 
tremely  popular  in  Congress,  who  will  recommend  an  imita 
tion  of  it  to  the  other  States.  For  my  own  part  I  expect 
only  a  partial  and  a  temporary  relief  from  it,  and  I  fear 
that  after  a  time  the  evils  will  break  out  with  greater 


240  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

violence.  The  water  will  flow  with  greater  rapidity  for 
having  been  dammed  up  for  a  time.  The  only  radical 
cure  will  be  to  stop  the  emission  of  more  paper,  and  to 
draw  in  some  that  is  already  out  and  devise  means  effectu 
ally  to  support  the  credit  of  the  rest.  To  this  end  we 
must  begin  forthwith  to  tax  the  people  as  largely  as  the 
distressed  circumstances  of  the  country  will  bear.  "We 
must  raise  the  interest  from  four  to  six  per  cent.  We 
must,  if  possible,  borrow  silver  and  gold  from  abroad. 
We  must,  above  all  things,  endeavor  this  winter  to  gain 
further  advantages  of  the  enemy,  that  our  power  may  be 
in  somewhat  higher  reputation  than  it  is,  or  rather  than  it 
has  been. 

155.  JOHN  AD4HS. 

c  "Baltimore,  7  February,  1777. 

I  THINK  in  some  letter  I  sent  you  since  I  left  Bethlehem 
I  promised  you  a  more  particular  account  of  that  curious 
and  remarkable  town.  When  we  first  came  in  sight  of  the 

O 

town  we  found  a  country  better  cultivated  and  more  agree 
ably  diversified  with  prospects  of  orchards  and  fields,  groves 
and  meadows,  hills  and  valleys,  than  any  we  had  seen. 
When  we  came  into  the  town,  we  were  directed  to  a  public- 
house  kept  by  a  Mr.  Johnson,  which  I  think  was  the  best 
inn  I  ever  saw.  It  belongs,  it  seems,  to  the  society,  is  fur 
nished  at  their  expense,  and  is  kept  for  their  profit  or  at  their 
loss.  Here  you  might  find  every  accommodation  that  you 
could  wish  for  yourself,  your  servants,  and  horses,  and  at 
no  extravagant  rates  neither. 

The  town  is  regularly  laid  out,  the  streets  straight  and 
at  right  angles,  like  those  in  Philadelphia.  It  stands  upon 
an  eminence,  and  has  a  fine  large  brook  flowing  on  one 
end  of  it,  and  the  Lehigh,  a  branch  of  the  Delaware,  on 
the  other.  Between  the  town  and  the  Lehigh  are  beauti 
ful  public  gardens.  They  have  carried  the  mechanical  arts 
to  greater  perfection  here  than  in  any  place  which  I  have 
seen.  They  have  a  set  of  pumps  which  go  by  water, 
which  force  the  water  up  through  leaden  pipes  from  the 
river  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  near  a  hundred  feet,  and  to  the 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  241 

top  of  a  little  building  in  the  shape  of  a  pyramid  or  obelisk, 
which  stands  upon  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  is  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  high.  From  this  fountain  water  is  conveyed  in 
pipes  to  every  part  of  the  town.  Upon  the  river  they 
have  a  fine  set  of  mills  ;  the  best  grist  mills  and  bolting 
mills  that  are  anywhere  to  be  found ;  the  best  fulling  mills, 
an  oil  mill,  a  mill  to  grind  bark  for  the  tanyard,  a  dyeing 
house  where  all  colors  are  dyed,  machines  for  shearing 
cloth,  etc. 

There  are  three  public  institutions  here  of  a  very  re 
markable  nature.  One  a  society  of  the  young  men,  an 
other  of  the  young  women,  and  a  third  of  the  widows. 
There  is  a  large  building  divided  into  many  apartments, 
where  the  young  men  reside  by  themselves  and  carry  on 
their  several  trades.  They  pay  a  rent  to  the  society  for 
their  rooms  and  they  pay  for  their  board,  and  what  they 
earn  is  their  own.  There  is  another  large  building  appro 
priated  in  the  same  manner  to  the  young  women.  There 
is  a  governess,  a  little  like  the  lady  abbess  in  some  other 
institutions,  who  has  the  superintendence  of  the  whole,  and 
they  have  Elders.  Each  apartment  has  a  number  of  young 
women  who  are  vastly  industrious,  some  spinning,  some 
weaving,  others  employed  in  all  the  most  curious  works  in 
linen,  wool,  cotton,  silver  and  gold,  silk  and  velvet.  This 
institution  displeased  me  much.  Their  dress  was  uniform 
and  clean,  but  very  inelegant.  Their  rooms  were  kept 
extremely  warm  with  Dutch  stoves,  and  the  heat,  the 
want  of  fresh  air  and  exercise,  relaxed  the  poor  girls  in 
such  a  manner  as  must,  I  think,  destroy  their  health. 
Their  countenances  were  languid  and  pale. 

The  society  of  widows  is  very  similar.  Industry  and 
economy  are  remarkable  in  all  these  institutions.  They 
showed  us  their  Church,  which  is  hung  with  pictures  of  our 
Saviour  from  his  birth  to  his  death,  resurrection,  and  as 
cension.  It  is  done  with  very  strong  colors  and  very  vio 
lent  passions,  but  not  in  a  very  elegant  taste.  The  painter, 
who  is  still  living  in  Bethlehem,  but  very  old,  has  formerly 
been  in  Italy,  the  school  of  painting.  They  have  a  very 
good  organ  in  their  Church,  of  their  own  make.  They 
16 


242  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February 

have  a  public  building  on  purpose  for  the  reception  of  the 
dead,  to  which  the  corpse  is  carried  as  soon  as  it  expires, 
where  it  lies  until  the  time  of  sepulture. 

Christian  love  is  their  professed  object,  but  it  is  said 
they  love  money  and  make  their  public  institutions  sub 
servient  to  the  gratification  of  that  passion.  They  suffer 
no  lawsuits  with  one  another,  and  as  few  as  possible  with 
other  men.  It  is  said  that  they  now  profess  to  be  against 
war.  They  have  a  custom  peculiar  respecting  courtship 
and  marriage.  The  elders  pick  out  pairs  to  be  coupled 
together,  who  have  no  opportunity  of  conversing  together 
more  than  once  or  twice  before  the  knot  is  tied.  The 
youth  of  the  two  sexes  have  very  little  conversation  with 
one  another  before  marriage. 

Mr.  Hassey,  a  very  agreeable,  sensible  gentleman,  who 
showed  us  the  curiosities  of  the  place,  told  me,  upon  in 
quiry,  that  they  profess  the  Augsburg  confession  of  faith, 
,are  Lutherans  rather  than  Calvinists,  distinguish  between 
Bishops  and  Presbyters,  but  have  no  idea  of  the  necessity 
.of  the  uninterrupted  succession,  are  very  liberal  and  candid 
m  their  notions  in  opposition  to  bigotry,  and  live  in  charity 
with  all  denominations. 

156.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

8  February,  1777. 

BEFORE  this  time  I  fancy  you  at  your  journey's  end.  I 
have  pitied  you.  The  season  has  been  a  continued  cold. 
I  have  heard  often er  from  you  than  I  ever  did  in  any  of  your 
former  journeys.  It  has  greatly  relieved  my  mind  under 
its  anxiety.  I  have  received  six  letters  from  you,  and  have 
the  double  pleasure  of  hearing  you  are  well  and  that  your 
thoughts  are  often  turned  this  way. 

I  have  wrote  once,  by  Major  Rice.  Two  gentlemen  set 
off  for  Baltimore  Monday  or  Tuesday,  and  have  engaged 
to  take  this  letter.  I  feel  under  so  many  restraints  when 
I  sit  down  to  write,  that  I  scarcely  know  what  to  say  to 
you.  The  conveyance  of  letters  is  so  precarious  that  I 
shall  not  trust  anything  of  consequence  to  them,  until  we 
have  more  regular  passes. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  243 

Indeed,  very  little  of  any  consequence  has  taken  place 
since  you  left  us.  We  seem  to  be  in  a  state  of  tranquillity 
—  rather  too  much  so.  I  wish  there  was  a  little  more  zeal 
shown  to  join  the  army. 

Nothing  new,  but  the  regulating  bill  engrosses  their  at 
tention.  The  merchant  scolds,  the  farmer  growls,  and 
every  one  seems  wroth  that  he  cannot  grind  his  neighbor. 

We  have  a  report  here,  said  to  come  in  two  private  let 
ters,  that  a  considerable  battle  has  taken  place  in  Bruns 
wick,  in  which  we  have  taken  fifteen  thousand  prisoners. 
I  cannot  credit  so  good  news.  The  letters  are  said  to  be 
without  date. 

I  beg  you  would  write  by  every  opportunity,  and  if  you 
cannot,  send  so  often  as  you  used  to,  write  and  let  them 
lie  by  till  you  make  a  packet. 

What  has  become  of  the  Farmer.  Many  reports  are 
abroad  to  his  disadvantage. 

I  feel  as  if  you  were  in  a  foreign  country.  Philadelphia 
seemed  close  by  ;  but  now  I  hardly  know  how  to  reconcile 
myself  to  the  thought  that  you  are  five  hundred  miles  dis 
tant  ;  but  though  distant,  you  are  always  near  to 

PORTIA. 

157.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Baltimore,  10  February,  1777. 

FELL'S  POINT,  winch  I  mentioned  in  a  letter  this  morn 
ing,  has  a  considerable  number  of  houses  upon  it.  The 
shipping  all  lies  now  at  this  point.  You  have  from  it  on 
one  side  a  complete  view  of  the  harbor,  and  on  the  other  a 
fine  prospect  of  the  town  of  Baltimore.  You  see  the  hill 
in  full  view,  and  the  Court-house,  the  Church,  and  Meeting 
house  upon  it.  The  Court-house  makes  a  haughty  appear 
ance  from  this  point.  There  is  a  fortification  erected  on 
this  point,  with  a  number  of  embrasures  for  cannon  facing 
the  Narrows  which  make  the  entrance  into  the  harbor. 
At  the  Narrows  they  have  a  fort  with  a  garrison  in  it. 

It  is  now  a  month  and  a  few  days  since  I  left  you.  I 
have  heard  nothing  from  you  nor  received  a  letter  from  the 
Massachusetts.  I  hope  the  post-office  will  perform  better 


244  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

than  it  lias  done.  I  am  anxious  to  hear  how  you  do.  My 
duty  to  your  papa  and  my  mother.  Love  to  brothers  and 
sisters.  Tell  Betsey  I  hope  she  is  married,  though  I  want 
to  throw  the  stocking.  My  respects  to  Mr.  Shaw.  Tell 
him  he  may  be  a  Calvinist  if  he  will,  provided  always 
that  he  preserves  his  candor,  charity,  and  moderation. 
What  shall  I  say  of  or  to  my  children  ?  What  will  they 
say  to  me  for  leaving  them,  their  education,  and  fortune  so 
much  to  the  disposal  of  chance  ?  May  Almighty  and  all  gra 
cious  Providence  protect  and  bless  them ! 

I  have  this  day  sent  my  resignation  of  a  certain  mighty 
office.1  It  has  relieved  me  from  a  burden  which  has  a  long 
time  oppressed  me.  But  I  am  determined  that  while  I  am 
ruining  my  constitution  of  mind  and  body,  and  running 
daily  risks  of  my  life  and  fortune,  in  defense  of  the  in 
dependence  of  my  country,  I  will  not  knowingly  resign  my 
own. 

158.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

12  February,  1777. 

MR.  BROMFIELD  was  so  obliging  as  to  write  me  word 
that  he  designed  a  journey  to  the  Southern  States  and 
would  take  particular  care  of  a  letter  to  you.  I  rejoice  in 
so  good  an  opportunity  of  letting  you  know  that  I  am  well 
as  usual,  but  that  I  have  not  yet  got  reconciled  to  the  great 
distance  between  us.  I  have  many  melancholy  hours,  when 
the  best  company  is  tiresome  to  me  and  solitude  the  greatest 
happiness  I  can  enjoy. 

I  wait  most  earnestly  for  a  letter  to  bring  me  the  wel 
come  tidings  of  your  safe  arrival.  I  hope  you  will  be  very 
particular  and  let  me  know  how  you  are,  after  your  fatigu 
ing  journey  ;  how  you  are  accommodated  ;  how  you  like 
Maryland ;  what  state  of  mind  you  find  the  Congress  in. 
You  know  how  little  intelligence  we  received  during  your 
stay  here  with  regard  to  what  was  passing  there  or  in  the 
army.  We  know  no  better  now.  All  communication 
seems  to  be  embarrassed.  I  got  more  knowledge  from  a 
letter  written  to  you  from  your  namesake,  which  I  received 
l  The  office  of  Chief  Justice  of  Massachusetts. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  245 

since  you  left  me,  than  I  had  before  obtained  since  you  left 
Philadelphia.  I  find  by  that  letter  that  six  Hessian  officers, 
together  with  Colonel  Campbell,  had  been  offered  in  ex 
change  for  General  Lee.  I  fear  he  receives  very  ill  treat 
ment.  The  terms  were  not  complied  with,  as  poor  Camp 
bell  finds.  He  was  much  surprised  when  the  officers  went 
to  take  him  and  begged  to  know  what  he  had  been  guilty 
of.  They  told  him  it  was  no  crime  of  his  own,  but  they 
were  obliged,  though  reluctantly,  to  commit  him  to  Concord 
Jail,  in  consequence  of  the  ill  treatment  of  General  Lee. 
He  then  begged  to  know  how  long  his  confinement  was  to 
last.  They  told  him  that  was  impossible  for  them  to  say, 
since  it  laid  wholly  in  the  power  of  General  Howe  to 
determine  it. 

By  a  vessel  from  Bilbao,  we  have  accounts  of  the  safe 
arrival  of  Dr.  Franklin  in  France,  ten  days  before  she  sailed. 
A  French  gentleman  who  came  passenger  says  we  may  rely 
upon  it  that  two  hundred  thousand  Russians  will  be  here  in 
the  spring. 

A  lethargy  seems  to  have  seized  our  countrymen.  I 
hear  no  more  of  molesting  Great  Britain.  We  just  begin 
to  talk  of  raising  men  for  the  standing  army.  I  wish  to 
know  whether  the  reports  may  be  credited  of  the  Southern 
regiments  being  full. 

You  will  write  me  by  the  bearer  of  this  letter,  to  whose 
care  you  may  venture  to  commit  anything  you  have  liberty 
to  communicate.  I  have  wrote  to  you  twice  before  this ; 
hope  you  have  received  them. 

The  children  all  desire  to  be  remembered.  So  does 
your  PORTIA. 

159.  JOHN  AIXAJMS. 

-"Ikltimore,  15  February,  1777. 

MR.  HALL,  by  whom  this  letter  will  be  sent,  will  carry 
several  letters  to  you,  which  have  been  written  and  deliv 
ered  to  him  several  days.  He  has  settled  his  business 
agreeably.  I  have  not  received  a  line  from  the  Massachu 
setts  since  I  left  it.  Whether  we  shall  return  to  Philadel 
phia  soon  or  not,  I  cannot  say.  I  rather  conjecture  it  will 


246  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

not  be  long.      You  may  write  to  me  in  Congress,  and  the 
letter  will  be  brought  me  wherever  I  shall  be. 

I  am  settled  now,  agreeably  enough,  in  my  lodgings. 
There  is  nothing  in  this  respect  that  lies  uneasily  upon  my 
mind,  except  the  most  extravagant  price  which  I  am  obliged 
to  give  for  everything.  My  constituents  will  think  me  ex 
travagant,  but  I  am  not.  I  wish  I  could  sell  or  send  home 
my  horses,  but  I  cannot.  I  must  have  horses  and  a  servant, 
for  Congress  will  be  likely  to  remove  several  times,  in  the 
course  of  the  ensuing  year.  I  am  impatient  to  hear  from 
you,  and  most  tenderly  anxious  for  your  health  and  happi 
ness.  I  am  also  most  affectionately  solicitous  for  my  dear 
children,  to  whom  remember  Yours. 

We  long  to  hear  of  the  formation  of  a  new  army.  We 
shall  lose  the  most  happy  opportunity  of  destroying  the 
enemy  this  spring  if  we  do  not  exert  ourselves  instantly. 
We  have  from  New  Hampshire  a  Colonel  Thornton,  a 
physician  by  profession,  a  man  of  humor.  He  has  a  large 
budget  of  droll  stories  with  which  he  entertains  company 
perpetually.  I  heard,  about  twenty  or  five-and-twenty 
years  ago,  a  story  of  a  physician  in  Londonderry,  who 
accidentally  met  with  one  of  our  New  England  enthusiasts, 
called  exhorters.  The  fanatic  soon  began  to  examine  the 
Dr.  concerning  the  articles  of  his  faith  and  what  he  thought 
of  original  sin.  "  Why,"  says  the  Dr.,  "  I  satisfy  myself 
about  it  in  this  manner.  Either  original  sin  is  divisible  or 
indivisible.  If  it  is  divisible,  every  descendant  of  Adam 
and  Eve  must  have  a  part,  and  the  share  which  falls  to 
each  individual  at  this  day  is  so  small  a  particle  that  I  think 
it  is  not  worth  considering.  If  indivisible,  then  the  whole 
quantity  must  have  descended  in  a  right  line,  and  must 
now  be  possessed  by  one  person  only ;  and  the  chances  are 
millions  and  millions  and  millions  to  one  that  that  person 
is  now  in  Asia  or  Africa,  and  that  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it."  I  told  Thornton  the  story,  and  that  I  suspected 
him  to  be  the  man.  He  said  he  was.  He  belongs  to  Lon 
donderry. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  247 

1 60.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Baltimore,  17  February,  1777. 

IT  was  this  day  determined  to  adjourn,  to-morrow  week, 
to  Philadelphia. 

Howe,  as  you  know  my  opinion  always  was,  will  repent 
his  mad  march  through  the  Jerseys.  The  people  of  that 
Commonwealth  begin  to  raise  their  spirits  exceedingly  and 
to  be  firmer  than  ever.  They  are  actuated  by  resentment 
now,  and  resentment,  coinciding  with  principle,  is  a  very 
powerful  motive. 

I  have  got  into  the  old  routine  of  war  office  and  Con 
gress,  which  takes  up  my  time  in  such  a  manner  that  I  can 
scarce  write  a  line.  I  have 'not  time  to  think  nor  to  speak. 
There  is  a  United  States  Lottery  abroad.  I  believe  you 
had  better  buy  a  ticket  and  make  a  present  of  it  to  our 
four  sweet  ones.  Let  us  try  their  luck.  I  hope  they  will 
be  more  lucky  than  their  papa  has  ever  been,  or  ever  will 
be.  I  am  as  well  as  can  be  expected.  How  it  happens  I 
don't  know,  nor  how  long  it  will  last.  My  disposition  was 
naturally  gay  and  cheerful,  but  the  prospects  I  have  ever 
had  before  me  and  these  cruel  times  will  make  me  melan 
choly.  I,  who  would  not  hurt  the  hair  of  the  head  of  any 
animal,  I,  who  am  always  made  miserable  by  the  misery 
of  every  susceptible  being  that  comes  to  my  knowledge, 
am  obliged  to  hear  continual  accounts  of  the  barbarities, 
the  cruel  murders  in  cold  blood  even  by  the  most  torment 
ing  ways  of  starving  and  freezing,  committed  by  our  ene 
mies,  and  continued  accounts  of  the  deaths  and  diseases 
contracted  by  their  own  imprudence.  These  accounts  har 
row  me  beyond  description.  These  incarnate  demons  say 
in  great  composure,  that  "humanity  is  a  Yankee  virtue, 
but  that  they  are  governed  by  policy."  Is  there  any  pol 
icy  on  this  side  of  hell  that  is  inconsistent  with  human 
ity  ?  I  have  no  idea  of  it.  I  know  of  no  policy,  God  is 
my  witness,  but  this,  piety,  humanity,  and  honesty  are  the 
best  policy.  Blasphemy,  cruelty,  and  villainy  have  pre 
vailed  and  may  again.  But  they  won't  prevail  against 
America  in  this  contest,  because  I  find  the  more  of  them 
are  employed  the  less  they  succeed. 


248  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

1 6 1.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Baltimore,  21  February,  1777. 

YESTERDAY  I  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  Mr. 
Purviance.  There  are  two  gentlemen  of  this  name  in 
Baltimore,  Samuel  and  Robert,  eminent  merchants  and  in 
partnership.  We  had  a  brilliant  company,  the  two  Mrs. 
Purviances,  the  two  Lees,  the  ladies  of  the  two  Colonels, 
R.  H.  and  F.,  Mrs.  Hancock  and  Miss  Katy,  and  a  young 
lady  that  belongs  to  the  family.  If  this  letter,  like  some 
other  wise  ones,  should  be  intercepted,  I  suppose  I  shall 
be  called  to  account  for  not  adjusting  the  rank  of  these 
ladies  a  little  better.  Mr.  Hancock,  the  two  Colonels  Lee, 
Colonel  Whipple,  Colonel  Page,  Colonel  Ewing,  the  two 
Mr.  Purviances,  and  a  young  gentleman.  I  fancy  I  have 
named  all  the  company.  How  happy  would  this  enter 
tainment  have  been  to  me  if  I  could,  by  a  single  volition, 
have  transported  one  lady  about  five  hundred  miles.  But 
alas !  this  is  a  greater  felicity  than  falls  to  iny  share.  We 
have  voted  to  go  to  Philadelphia  next  week. 

We  have  made  General  Lincoln  a  Continental  Major- 
general.  We  shall  make  Colonel  Glover  a  Brigadier.  I 
sincerely  wish  we  could  hear  more  from  General  Heath. 
Many  persons  are  extremely  dissatisfied  with  numbers  of 
the  General  officers  of  the  highest  rank.  I  don't  mean  the 
Commander-in-chief,  his  character  is  justly  very  high,  but 
Schuyler,  Putnam,  Spencer,  Heath,  are  thought  by  very 
few  to  be  capable  of  the  great  commands  they  hold.  We 
hear  of  none  of  their  heroic  deeds  of  arms.  I  wish  they 
would  all  resign.  For  my  part,  I  will  vote  upon  the  gen 
uine  principles  of  a  republic  for  a  new  election  of  General 
officers  annually,  and  every  man  shall  have  my  consent  to 
be  left  out  who  does  not  give  sufficient  proof  of  his  quali 
fications. 

I  wish  my  lads  were  old  enough.  I  would  send  every 
one  of  them  into  the  army  in  some  capacity  or  other. 
Military  abilities  and  experience  are  a  great  advantage  to 
any  character. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  249 

162.   JOHN  A:DAMS. 

Philadelphia,  7  March,  1777. 

THE  President,  who  is  just  arrived  from  Baltimore, 
came  in  a  few  minutes  ago  and  delivered  me  yours  of 
February  8,  which  he  found  at  Susquehanna  River,  on  its 
way  to  Baltimore.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  find  that 
you  have  received  so  many  letters  from  me,  although  I 
knew  they  contained  nothing  of  importance.  I  feel  a  re 
straint  in  writing,  like  that  which  you  complain  of,  and  am 
determined  to  go  on  trifling.  However,  the  post  now 
comes  regularly,  and  I  believe  you  may  trust  it.  I  am 
anxious  and  impatient  to  hear  of  the  march  of  the  Mass 
achusetts  soldiers  for  the  new  army.  They  are  much 
wanted. 

This  city  is  a  dull  place  in  comparison  of  what  it  was. 
More  than  one  half  the  inhabitants  have  removed  into  the 
country,  as  it  was  their  wisdom  to  do.  The  remainder  are 
chiefly  Quakers,  as  dull  as  beetles.  From  these  neither 
good  is  to  be  expected  nor  evil  to  be  apprehended.  They 
are  a  kind  of  neutral  tribe,  or  the  race  of  the  insipids. 
Howe  may  possibly  attempt  this  town,  and  a  pack  of  sor 
did  scoundrels,  male  and  female,  seem  to  have  prepared 
their  minds  and  bodies,  houses  and  cellars,  for  his  recep 
tion  ;  but  these  are  few,  and  more  despicable  in  character 
than  number.  America  will  lose  nothing  by  Howe's  gam 
ing  this  town.  No  such  panic  will  be  spread  by  it  now  as 
was  spread  by  the  expectation  of  it  in  December.  How 
ever,  if  we  can  get  together  twenty  thousand  men  by  the 
first  of  April  Mr.  Howe  will  scarcely  cross  Delaware  River 
this  year.  New  Jersey  may  yet  be  his  tomb,  where  he 
will  have  a  monument  very  different  from  his  brother's  l  in 
Westminster  Abbey. 

I  am  very  uneasy  that  no  attempt  is  made  at  Rhode 
Island.  There  is  but  a  handful  left  there,  who  might  be 
made  an  easy  prey.  The  few  invalids  who  are  left  there 
are  scattered  over  the  whole  island,  which  is  eleven  miles 
in  length,  and  three  or  four  wide.  Are  New  England  men 

1  Erected  at  the  expense  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  pursuant  to  a  vote  of  the 
General  Court  in  1758. 


250  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

such  sons  of  sloth  and  fear  as  to  lose  this  opportunity  ? 
We  may  possibly  remove  again  from  hence,  perhaps  to 
Lancaster  or  Reading.  It  is  good  to  change  place  ;  it 
promotes  health  and  spirits  ;  it  does  good  many  ways  ;  it 
does  good  to  the  place  we  remove  from,  as  well  as  to  that 
we  remove  to,  and  it  does  good  to  those  who  move.  I 
long  to  be  at  home  at  the  opening  spring,  but  this  is  not 
my  felicity.  I  am  tenderly  anxious  for  your  health  and  for 
the  welfare  of  the  whole  house. 


163.  JOHN 

Philadelphia,  16  March,  1777. 

THE  spring  advances  very  rapidly,  and  all  nature  will 
soon  be  clothed  in  her  gayest  robes.  The  green  grass 
which  begins  to  show  itself  here  and  there  revives  in  my 
longing  imagination  my  little  farm  arid  its  dear  inhabitants. 
What  pleasure  has  not  this  vile  war  deprived  me  of  ?  I 
want  to  wander  in  my  meadows,  to  ramble  over  my  moun 
tains,  and  to  sit,  in  solitude  or  with  her  who  has  all  my 
heart,  by  the  side  of  the  brooks.  These  beautiful  scenes 
would  contribute  more  to  my  happiness  than  the  sublime 
ones  which  surround  me.  I  begin  to  suspect  that  I  have 
not  much  of  the  grand  in  my  composition.  The  pride  and 
pomp  of  war,  the  continual  sound  of  drums  and  fifes  as 
well  played  as  any  in  the  world,  the  prancings  and  tram- 
plings  of  the  Light  Horse,  numbers  of  whom  are  paraded 
in  the  streets  every  day,  have  no  charms  for  me.  I  long 
for  rural  and  domestic  scenes,  for  the  warbling  of  birds 
and  prattle  of  my  children.  Don't  you  think  I  am  some 
what  poetical  this  morning,  for  one  of  my  years,  and  consid 
ering  the  gravity  and  insipidity  of  my  employment  ?  As 
much  as  I  converse  with  sages  and  heroes,  they  have  very 
little  of  my  love  or  admiration.  I  should  prefer  the  delights 
of  a  garden  to  the  dominion  of  a  world.  I  have  nothing  of 
Caesar's  greatness  in  my  soul.  Power  has  not  my  wishes 
in  her  train.  The  Gods,  by  granting  me  health  arid  peace 
and  competence,  the  society  of  my  family  and  friends,  the 
perusal  of  my  books,  and  the  enjoyment  of  my  farm  and 
garden,  would  make  me  as  happy  as  my  nature  and  state 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  251 

will  bear.  Of  that  ambition  which  has  power  for  its  ob 
ject.  I  don't  believe  I  have  a  spark  in  my  heart.  There 
are  other  kinds  of  ambition  of  which  I  have  a  great  deal.1 

I  am  now  situated  in  a  pleasant  part  of  the  town,  in 
Walnut  Street,  on  the  south  side  of  it,  between  Second  and 
Third  Streets,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Duncan,  a  gentleman  from 
Boston,  who  has  a  wife  and  three  children.  General  Wol- 
cott,  of  Connecticut,  and  Colonel  Whipple,  of  Portsmouth, 
are  with  me  in  the  same  house.  Mr.  Adams  has  removed  to 
Mrs.  Cheesman's,  in  Fourth  Street,  near  the  corner  of  Mar 
ket  Street,  where  he  has  a  curious  group  of  company,  con 
sisting  of  characters  as  opposite  as  north  and  south.  Inger- 
soll,  the  stamp  man  and  Judge  of  Admiralty  ;  Sherman,  an 
old  Puritan,  as  honest  as  an  angel  and  as  firm  in  the  cause 
of  American  independence  as  Mount  Atlas ;  and  Colonel 
Thornton,  as  droll  and  funny  as  Tristram  Shandy.  Between 
the  fun  of  Thornton,  the  gravity  of  Sherman,  and  the  for 
mal  Toryism  of  Ingersoll,  Adams  will  have  a  curious  life  of 
it.  The  landlady,  too,  who  has  buried  four  husbands,  one- 
tailor,  two  shoemakers,  and  Gilbert  Tenant,  and  still  is 
ready  for  a  fifth,  and  well  deserves  him  too,  will  add  to 
the  entertainment.  Gerry  and  Lovell  are  yet  at  Miss 
Leonard's,  under  the  auspices  of  Mrs.  Yard.  Mr.  Hancock 
has  taken  a  house  in  Chestnut  Street,  near  the  corner  of 
Fourth  Street,  near  the  State  House. 

17  March. 

We  this  day  received  letters  from  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr. 
Deane.  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  mention  particulars,  but  in 
general,  the  intelligence  is  very  agreeable.  I  am  now  con 
vinced  there  will  be  a  general  war. 

164.  JOHN  ADAIVJS. 

^^•Pfiiiadelphia,  28  March,  1777. 

"  A  PLOT,  a  plot !  a  horrid  plot !  Mr.  A.,"  says  my  bar 
ber,  this  morning.  "  It  must  be  a  plot,  first,  because  there 
is  British  gold  in  it ;  second,  because  there  is  a  woman  in 

1  This  letter  is  taken  from  the  copy  book,  in  which  is  added,  at  this  place, 
the  following  :  «  Note,  9  April.  Literary  and  professional,  I  suppose.  But  is 
not  the  heart  deceitful  above  all  things?  " 


252  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

it ;    third,  because  there  is  a  Jew  in  it ;  fourth,  because   I 
don't  know  what  to  make  of  it." 

The  barber  means  that  a  villain  was  taken  up  and  ex 
amined  yesterday,  who  appears,  by  his  own  confession,  to 
have  been  employed,1  by  Lord  Howe  and  Jo.  Galloway,  to 
procure  pilots  to  conduct  the  fleet  up  Delaware  River  and 
through  the  Chevaux  de  Frise.  His  confidant  was  a  wo 
man,  who  is  said  to  be  kept  by  a  Jew.  The  fellow  and  the 
woman  will  suffer  for  their  wickedness. 

165.  JOHN  Ao^ks. 

^x^lnladelphia,  31  March,  1777. 

I  KNOW  not  the  time  when  I  have  omitted  to  write  you  so 
long.  I  have  received  but  three  letters  from  you  since  we 
parted,  and  these  were  short  ones.  Do  you  write  by  the 
post  ?  If  you  do,  there  must  be  some  legerdemain.  The 
post  comes  now  constantly,  once  a  week,  and  brings  me 
newspapers,  but  no  letters.  I  have  ventured  to  write  by 
the  post,  but  whether  my  letters  are  received  or  not,  I  don't 
know.  If  you  distrust  the  post,  the  Speaker  or  your  uncle 
Smith  will  find  frequent  opportunities  of  conveying  let 
ters. 

I  never  was  more  desirous  of  hearing  from  home,  and 
never  before  heard  so  seldom.  We  have  reports  here  not 
very  favorable  to  the  town  of  Boston.  It  is  said  that  dis 
sipation  prevails,  arid  that  Toryism  abounds  and  is  openly 
avowed  at  the  coffee-houses.  1  hope  the  reports  are  false. 
Apostasies  in  Boston  are  more  abominable  than  in  any 
other  place.  Toryism  finds  worse  quarter  here.  A  poor 
fellow  detected  here  as  a  spy,  employed,  as  he  confesses,  by 
Lord  Howe  and  Mr.  Galloway,  to  procure  pilots  for  Dela 
ware  River  and  for  other  purposes,  was  this  day  at  noon 
executed  on  the  gallows,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense 
crowd  of  spectators.  His  name  was  James  Molesworth. 
He  has  been  Mayor's  Clerk  to  three  or  four  Mayors. 

I  believe  you  will  think  my  letters  very  trifling  ;  indeed, 
they  are.  I  write  in  trammels.  Accidents  have  thrown 
so  many  letters  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  they  take 
such  a  malicious  pleasure  in  exposing  them,  that  I  choose 


1777.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  253 

they  should  have  nothing  but  trifles  from  me  to  expose. 
For  this  reason  I  never  write  anything  of  consequence 
from  Europe,  from  Philadelphia,  from  camp,  or  anywhere 
else.  If  I  could  write  freely,  I  would  lay  open  to  you 
the  whole  system  of  politics  and  war,  and  would  delineate 
all  the  characters  in  either  drama,  as  minutely,  although  I 
could  not  do  it  so  elegantly,  as  Tully  did  in  his  letters  to 
Atticus. 

TVre  have  letters,  however,  from  France  by  a  vessel  in  at 
Portsmouth.1  Of  her  important  cargo  you  have  heard. 
There  is  news  of  very  great  importance  in  the  letters,  but 
I  am  not  at  liberty.  The  news,  however,  is  very  agree 
able. 

1 66.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

2  April,  1777. 

I  SIT  down  to  write,  though  I  feel  very  languid.  The 
approach  of  spring  unstrings  my  nerves,  and  the  south 
winds  have  the  same  effect  upon  me  which  Brydone  says 
the  sirocco  winds  have  upon  the  inhabitants  of  Sicily.  It 
gives  the  vapors  —  blows  away  all  their  gayety  and  spirits, 
and  gives  a  degree  of  lassitude  both  to  the  body  and  mind 
which  renders  them  absolutely  incapable  of  performing 
their  usual  functions. 

He  adds  that  "  it  is  not  surprising  that  it  should  produce 
these  effects  upon  a  phlegmatic  English  constitution  ;  but 
that  he  had  just  had  an  instance  that  all  the  mercury  of 
France  must  sink  under  the  weight  of  this  horrid  leaden 
atmosphere.  A  smart  Parisian  Marquis  came  to  Naples 
about  ten  days  ago.  He  was  so  full  of  animal  spirits 
that  the  people  thought  him  mad.  He  never  remained  a 
moment  in  the  same  place,  but  at  their  grave  conversations 
used  to  skip  from  room  to  room  with  such  amazing  elastici 
ty  that  the  Italians  swore  he  had  got  springs  in  his  shoes. 
I  met  him  this  morning  walking  with  the  step  of  a  philos 
opher,  a  smelling  bottle  in  his  hand  and  all  his  vivacity  ex 
tinguished.  I  asked  what  was  the  matter.  *  Ah,  mon  ami,' 

1  The  ship  Mercury,  from  Nantes,  with  military  stores  obtained  by  Mr. 
Deane  in  France. 


254  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

said  he,  'je  m'ennuie  a  la  mort  —  moi,  qui  n'ai  jamais 
s$u  1'eimui.  Mais  cet  execrable  vent  m'accable ;  et  deux 
jours  de  plus,  et  je  me  pend.' " 

I  think  the  author  of  "  Common  Sense"  somewhere  says 
that  no  persons  make  use  of  quotations  but  those  who  are 
destitute  of  ideas  of  their  own.  Though  this  may  not  at 
all  times  be  true,  yet  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge  it  at 
present. 

Yours  of  the  9th  of  March  received  by  the  post.  'T  is 
said  here  that  Howe  is  meditating  another  visit  to  Phila 
delphia.  If  so,  I  would  advise  him  to  taking  down  all  the 
doors,  that  the  panels  may  not  suffer  for  the  future. 

'T  is  said  here  that  General  Washington  has  but  eight 
thousand  troops  with  him.  Can  it  be  true  ?  That  we  have 
but  twelve  hundred  at  Ticonderoga  ?  I  know  not  who  has 
the  care  of  raising  them  here,  but  this  I  know,  we  are 
very  dilatory  about  it.  All  the  troops  which  were  stationed 
upon  Nantasket  arid  at  Boston  are  dismissed  this  week,  so 
that  we  are  now  very  fit  to  receive  an  enemy.  I  have 
heard  some  talk  of  routing  the  enemy  at  Newport ;  but  if 
anything  was  designed  against  them,  believe  me  't  is  wholly 
laid  aside.  Nobody  seems  to  consider  them  as  dangerous, 
or  indeed  to  care  anything  about  them.  Where  is  Gen 
eral  Gates  ?  We  hear  nothing  of  him. 

The  Church  doors  were  shut  up  last  Sunday  in  conse 
quence  of  a  presentiment ;  a  farewell  sermon  preached  and 
much  weeping  and  wailing ;  persecuted,  be  sure,  but  not  for 
righteousness'  sake.  The  conscientious  parson  had  taken 
an  oath  upon  the  Holy  Evangelists  to  pray  for  his  most 
gracious  Majesty  as  his  sovereign  lord,  and  having  no 
father  confessor  to  absolve  him,  he  could  not  omit  it  with 
out  breaking  his  oath. 

Who  is  to  have  the  command  at  Ticonderoga  ?  Where 
is  General  Lee  ?  How  is  he  treated  ?  Is  there  a  scarcity  of 
grain  in  Philadelphia.  How  is  flour  sold  there  by  the 
hundred  ? 

We  are  just  beginning  farming  business.  I  wish  most 
sincerely  you  were  here  to  amuse  yourself  with  it  and  to 
unbend  your  mind  from  the  cares  of  State.  I  hope  your 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  255 

associates  are  more  to  your  mind  than  they  have  been  in 
times  past.  Suppose  you  will  be  joined  this  month  by  two 
from  this  State.  Adieu.  Yours. 

167.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^_^«filadelphia,  6  April,  1777. 

You  have  had  many  rumors  propagated  among  you 
which  I  suppose  you  know  not  how  to  account  for.  One 
was  that  Congress,  the  last  summer,  had  tied  the  hands  of 
General  Washington,  and  would  not  let  him  fight,  partic 
ularly  on  the  White  Plains.  This  report  was  totally  ground 
less.  Another  was  that  at  last  Congress  untied  the  Gen 
eral,  and  then  he  instantly  fought  and  conquered  at  Trenton. 
This  also  was  without  foundation,  for  as  his  hands  were 
never  tied,  so  they  were  not  untied.  Indeed,  within  a  few 
days  past  a  question  has  been  asked  Congress,  to  the  sur 
prise,  I  believe,  of  every  member  there,  whether  the  Gen 
eral  was  bound  by  the  advice  of  a  council  of  war  ?  No 
member  of  Congress,  that  I  know  of,  ever  harbored  or  con 
ceived  such  a  thought.  "  Taking  the  advice  of  a  council 
of  war  "  are  the  words  of  the  General's  instructions,  but 
this  meant  only  that  councils  of  war  should  be  called  and 
their  opinions  and  reasons  demanded,  but  the  General,  like 
all  other  commanders  of  armies,  was  to  pursue  his  own 
judgment  after  all. 

Another  report,  which  has  been  industriously  circulated, 
is  that  the  General  has  been  made  by  Congress  dicta 
tor.  But  this  is  as  false  as  the  other  stories.  Congress,  it 
is  true,  upon  removing  to  Baltimore,  gave  the  General 
power  to  raise  fifteen  battalions,  in  addition  to  those  which 
were  ordered  to  be  raised  before,  and  to  appoint  the  offi 
cers,  and  also  to  raise  three  thousand  horse,  and  to  ap 
point  their  officers,  and  also  to  take  necessaries  for  his  army, 
at  an  appraised  value.  But  no  more.  Congress  never 
thought  of  making  him  dictator  or  of  giving  him  a  sover 
eignty.  I  wish  I  could  find  a  correspondent  who  was  idle 
enough  to  attend  to  every  report,  and  write  it  to  me.  Such 
false  news,  uncontradicted,  does  more  or  less  harm.  Such 
a  collection  of  lies  would  be  a  curiosity  for  posterity. 


256  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

The  report  you  mention  in  your  last,  that  the  British 
administration  had  proposed  to  Congress  a  Treaty  and  terms, 
is  false,  and  without  a  color.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  now  more 
than  ever  past  a  doubt  that  their  fixed  determination  is 
conquest  and  unconditional  subjugation.  But  there  will  be 
many  words  and  blows  too,  before  they  will  accomplish 
their  wishes.  Poor,  abandoned,  infatuated  nation  !  Infat 
uation  is  one  of  the  causes  to  which  great  historians  as 
cribe  many  events,  and  if  it  ever  produced  any  effect,  it  has 
produced  this  war  against  America. 

Arnold,  who  carries  this,  was  taken  in  his  passage  from 
Baltimore.  He  sailed  with  Harden  for  Boston.  They 
took  fifteen  vessels  while  he  was  on  board  the  man-of-war. 
Your  flour  was  highly  favored  with  good  luck. 

1 68.  JOHN  ADA-MS. 

-'Iphiladelpliia,  8  April,  1777. 

YOURS  of  26th  March  came  by  this  day's  post.  I  am 
happy  to  hear  you  have  received  so  many  letters  from  me. 
You  need  not  fear  writing  in  your  cautious  way,  by  the 
post,  which  is  now  well  regulated.  But  if  your  letters 
should  be  intercepted,  they  would  do  no  harm.  The  F.1 
turns  out  to  be  the  man  that  I  have  seen  him  to  be  these 
two  years.  He  is  in  total  neglect  and  disgrace  here.  I 
am  sorry  for  it,  because  of  the  forward  part  he  took  in  the 
beginning  of  the  controversy.  But  there  is  certainly  such 
a  thing  as  falling  away  in  politics,  if  there  is  none  in  grace. 

Lee  fares  as  well  as  a  man  in  close  prison  can  fare,  I  sup 
pose,  constantly  guarded  and  watched.  I  fancy  Howe  will 
engage  that  he  shall  be  treated  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  in 
that  case  we  shall  all  be  easy.  For  my  own  part  I  don't 
think  the  cause  depends  upon  him.  I  am  sorry  to  see  such 
wild  panegyrics  in  your  newspapers.  I  wish  they  would 
consider  the- wars  against  idolatry. 

11  April. 

Congress  is  now  full.  Every  one  of  the  thirteen  States 
has  a  representation  in  it,  which  has  not  happened  before,  a 
long  time.  Maryland  has  taken  a  step  which  will  soon  com- 

1  The  farmer,  John  Dickinson. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  257 

plete  their  quota.     They  have  made  it  lawful  for  their  offi 
cers  to  enlist  servants  and  apprentices. 

The  fine  new  frigate,  called  the  Delaware,  Captain  Alex 
ander,  has  sailed  dowa  the  river.  I  stood  upon  the  wharf 
to  see  the  fine  figure  and  show  she  made.  They  are  fitting 
away  the  Washington,  Captain  Reed,  with  all  imaginable 
dispatch.  We  have  at  last  finished  the  system  of  officers 
for  the  hospitals,  which  will  be  printed  to-morrow.  As 
soon  as  it  is  done,  I  will  inclose  it  to  you.  A  most  ample, 
generous,  liberal  provision  it  is.  The  expense  will  be  great, 
but  humanity  overcame  avarice. 

169.  JOHST  AD.IMS. 

~-i»htta3elphia,   Sunday,  13  April,  1777. 

INCLOSED  with  this  you  have  a  correspondence  •*•  be 
tween  the  two  Generals  concerning  the  cartel  for  the  ex 
change  of  prisoners.  Washington  is  in  the  right,  and  has 
maintained  his  argument  with  a  delicacy  and  dignity  which 
do  him  much  honor.  He  has  hinted  at  the  flagitious  con 
duct  of  the  two  Howes  towards  their  prisoners  in  so  plain 
and  clear  a  manner  that  he  cannot  be  misunderstood,  but 
yet  a  decency  and  a  delicacy  are  preserved,  which  is  the 
more  to  be  applauded  because  the  natural  resentment  of 
such  atrocious  cruelties  renders  it  very  difficult  to  avoid  a 
more  pointed  language  in  describing  them.  They  might  in 
deed,  without  much  impropriety,  have  been  painted  in  crim 
son  colors  of  a  deeper  die.  If  Mr.  Howe's  heart  is  not  cal 
lous,  what  must  be  his  feelings  when  he  recollects  the  starv- 
ings,  the  freezings,  the  pestilential  diseases,  with  which  he 
coolly  and  deliberately  destroyed  the  lives  of  so  many  un 
happy  men !  If  his  conscience  is  not  seared,  how  will  he 
bear  its  lashes  when  he  remembers  his  breach  of  honor,  his 
breach  of  faith,  his  offense  against  humanity  and  divinity, 
his  neighbor,  and  his  God  (if  he  thinks  there  is  any  such 
Supreme  Being),  in  impairing  health  that  he  ought  to  have 
cherished,  and  in  putting  an  end  to  lives  that  he  ought  to 
have  preserved,  and  in  choosing  the  most  slow,  lingering,  and 
torturing  death  that  he  could  have  devised.  I  charitably' 

1  Sparks's  edition  of   Washington's  Writings,  Vol.  IV.  pp   380-386. 


258  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

suppose,  however,  that  he  would  have  chosen  the  shortest 
course  and  would  have  put  every  man  to  the  sword  or  bay 
onet,  and  thereby  have  put  an  end  to  their  sufferings  at 
once,  if  he  could  have  done  it  without  detection.  But 
this  would  have  been  easily  proved  upon  him,  both  by 
friends  and  enemies,  whereas,  by  hunger,  frost,  and  disease 
he  might  commit  the  murders  with  equal  certainty,  and 
yet  be  able  to  deny  that  he  had  done  it.  He  might  lay  it 
to  hurry,  to  confusion,  to  the  fault  of  commissaries  and 
other  officers  ;  nay,  might  deny  that  they  were  starved,  fro 
zen,  and  infected.  He  was  determined  to  put  them  out  of 
the  way  and  yet  to  deny  it ;  to  get  rid  of  his  enemies  and 
yet  save  his  reputation.  But  his  reputation  is  ruined  for 
ever. 

The  two  brothers  will  be  ranked  by  posterity  with 
Pizarro,  with  Borgia,  with  Alva,  and  with  others  in  the  an 
nals  of  infamy,  whose  memories  are  entitled  to  the  hisses 
and  execrations  of  all  virtuous  men.  These  two  unprin 
cipled  men  are  the  more  detestable  because  they  were  in 
the  opposition  at  home,  their  connections,  friendships,  and  in 
terest  lay  with  the  opposition  ;  to  the  opposition  they  owed 
their  rise,  promotion,  and  importance.  Yet  they  have  basely 
deserted  their  friends  and  party,  and  have  made  them 
selves  the  servile  tools  of  the  worst  of  men  in  the  worst 
of  causes.  But  what  will  not  desperate  circumstances 
tempt  men  to  do,  who  are  without  principle  and  who  have 
a  strong,  aspiring  ambition,  a  towering  pride,  and  a  torment 
ing  avarice  ?  These  two  Howes  were  very  poor,  and  they 
have  spent  the  little  fortunes  they  had  in  bribery  at  elec 
tions,  and  having  obtained  seats  in  Parliament,  and  having 
some  reputation  as  brave  men,  they  had  nothing  to  do  but 
to  carry  their  votes  and  their  valor  to  market,  and,  it  is 
very  true,  they  have  sold  them  at  a  high  price. 

Are  titles  of  honor  the  reward  of  infamy  ?  Is  gold  a 
compensation  for  vice  ?  Can  the  one  or  the  other  give 
that  pleasure  to  the  heart,  that  comfort  to  the  mind,  which 
it  derives  from  doing  good  ?  from  a  consciousness  of  acting 
upon  upright  and  generous  principles,  of  promoting  the 
cause  of  right,  freedom,  and  the  happiness  of  men  ?  Can 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS  259 

wealth  or  titles  soften  the  pains  of  the  mind  upon  reflect 
ing  that  a  man  has  done  evil  and  endeavored  to  do  evil  to 
millions,  that  he  has  destroyed  free  governments  and  estab 
lished  tyrannies  ?  I  would  not  be  a  Howe  for  all  the  em 
pires  of  the  earth  and  all  the  riches  and  glories  thereof. 
Who  would  not  rather  be  brave  even  though  unfortunate 
in  the  cause  of  liberty  ?  Who  would  not  rather  be  Sidney 
than  Monk  ? 

However,  if  I  am  not  deceived,  misfortune  as  well  as 
infamy  awaits  these  men.  They  are  doomed  to  defeat  and 
destruction.  It  may  take  time  to  effect  it,  but  it  will  cer 
tainly  come.  America  is  universally  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  meeting  them  in  the  field  in  firm  battalion,  and 
American  fire  is  terrible.1 

170.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

/Philadelphia,  13  April,  1777. 

I  HAVE  spent  an  hour  this^morning  in  the  congregation 
of  the  dead.  I  took  a  walk  into  the  Potter's  Field,  a  bury 
ing  ground  between  the  new  stone  prison  and  the  hospital, 
and  I  never  in  my  whole  life  was  affected  with  so  much  mel 
ancholy.  The  graves  of  the  soldiers  who  have  been  buried 
in  this  ground  from  the  hospital  and  bettering  house  dur 
ing  the  course  of  the  last  summer,  fall,  and  winter,  dead  of 
the  small-pox  and  camp  diseases,  are  enough  to  make  the 
heart  of  stone  to  melt  away.  The  sexton  told  me  that 
upwards  of  two  thousand  soldiers  had  been  buried  there, 
and  by  the  appearance  of  the  graves  and  trenches  it  is 
most  probable  to  me  he  speaks  within  bounds.  To  what 
causes  this  plague  is  to  be  attributed  I  don't  know.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  want  of  tents,  clothes,  soap,  vegetables, 
vinegar,  vaults,  etc.,  cannot  account  for  it  all.  Oatmeal 
and  peas  are  a  great  preservative  of  our  enemies.  Our 
frying-pans  and  gridirons  slay  more  than  the  sword.  Dis 
cipline,  discipline  is  the  great  thing  wanted.  There  can 
be  no  order  nor  cleanliness  in  an  army  without  discipline. 

1  This  description  of  the  Howes  may  be  set  down  to  the  account  of  the 
irritation  of  the  conflict.  They  proved  in  reality  as  liberal  opponents  as  the 
nature  of  the  war  would  permit. 


260  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

We  Lave  at  last  determined  on  a  plan  for  the  sick,  and 
have  called  into  the  service  the  best  abilities  in  physic  and 
chirurgery  that  the  continent  affords.  I  pray  God  it  may 
have  its  desired  effect,  and  that  the  lives  and  health  of  the 
soldiers  may  be  saved  by  it.  Disease  has  destroyed  ten 
men  for  us  where  the  sword  of  the  enemy  has  killed  one. 
Upon  my  return  from  my  pensive,  melancholy  walk,  I 
heard  a  piece  of  disagreeable  news ;  that  the  ship  Morris, 
Captain  Anderson,  from  Nantes,  with  cannon,  arms,  gun- 
locks,  powder,  etc.,  was  chased  into  Delaware  Bay  by  two 
or  three  men-of-war ;  that  she  defended  herself  manfully 
against  their  boats  and  barges,  but  finding  no  possibility 
of  getting  clear,  she  ran  aground.  The  crew  and  two 
French  gentlemen  passengers  got  on  shore,  but  the  captain, 
determined  to  disappoint  his  enemy  in  part,  laid  a  train 
and  blew  up  the  ship,  and  lost  his  own  life,  unfortunately, 
in  the  explosion.  I  regret  the  loss  of  so  brave  a  man 
much  more  than  that  of  the  ship  and  cargo.  The  people 
are  fishing  in  order  to  save  what  they  can,  and  I  hope  they 
will  save  the  cannon.  The  French  gentlemen,  it  is  said, 
have  brought  dispatches  from  France  to  the  Congress.  I 
hope  this  is  true.  If  it  is,  I  will  let  you  know  the  sub 
stance  of  it  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  disclose  it. 

171.  JOHN  APAMS. 

Philadelphia,  19  April,  1777. 

WE  have  now  an  ample  representation  from  New  York. 
It  consists  of  six  delegates,  and  they  are  to  all  appearance 
as  high,  as  decisive,  and  as  determined  as  any  men  ever 
were  or  can  be.  There  is  a  new  hand,  a  Mr.  Duer,  who 
is  a  very  fine  fellow,  a  man  of  sense,  spirit,  and  activity, 
and  is  exceeded  by  no  man  in  zeal.  Mr.  Duane  and  Mr. 
Philip  Livingston  are  apparently  as  determined  as  any 
men  in  Congress.  You  will  see,  by  the  inclosed  news 
papers,  that  Duane  and.  Jay  have  arrived  at  the  honor  of 
being  ranked  with  the  two  Adamses.  I  hope  they  will  be 
duly  sensible  of  the  illustrious  distinction,  and  be  sure  to 
behave  in  a  manner  becoming  it. 

This   is   the  anniversary  of    the  ever  memorable  19th 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  261 

April,  1775.  Two  complete  years  we  have  maintained 
open  war  with  Great  Britain  and  her  allies,  and,  after  all 
our  difficulties  and  misfortunes,  are  much  abler  to  cope  with 
them  now  than  we  were  at  the  beginning. 

172.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

20  April,  1777. 

THE  post  is  very  regular,  and  faithfully  brings  me  all 
your  letters,  I  believe.  If  I  do  not  write  so  often  as  you 
do,  be  assured  that  't  is  because  I  have  nothing  worth  your 
acceptance  to  write.  Whilst  the  army  lay  this  way  I  had 
constantly  something  by  way  of  intelligence  to  write.  Of 
late  there  has  been  a  general  state  of  tranquillity,  as  if  we 
had  no  contending  armies. 

There  seems  to  be  something  preparing  against  New 
port  at  last.  If  we  are  not  wise  too  late,  it  will  be  well. 
Two  thousand  militia  are  ordered  to  be  drafted  for  that 
place,  and  last  week  the  independent  company  marched 
very  generally ;  expect  to  tarry  six  weeks,  till  the  militia 
are  collected. 

Your  obliging  favors  of  various  dates  came  safe  to  hand 
last  week,  and  contain  a  line  parcel  of  agreeable  intelli 
gence,  for  which  I  am  much  obliged,  and  I  feel  very  im 
portant  to  have  such  a  budget  to  communicate. 

As  to  the  town  of  Boston,  I  cannot  give  you  any  very 
agreeable  account  of  it.  It  seems  to  be  really  destitute  of 
the  choice  spirits  which  once  inhabited  it,  though  I  have 
not  heard  any  particular  charges  of  Toryism  against  it. 
No  doubt  you  had  your  intelligence  from  better  authority 
than  I  can  name.  I  have  not  been  into  town  since  your 
absence,  nor  do  I  desire  to  go  till  a  better  spirit  prevails. 
If  't  is  not  Toryism  it  is  a  spirit  of  avarice  and  contempt 
of  authority,  an  inordinate  love  of  gain,  that  prevails  not 
only  in  town  but  everywhere  I  look  or  hear  from.  As  to 
dissipation,  there  was  always  enough  of  it  in  the  town,  but 
I  believe  not  more  now  than  when  you  left  us. 

There  is  a  general  cry  against  the  merchants,  against 
monopolizers,  etc.,  who,  't  is  said,  have  created  a  partial 
scarcity.  That  a  scarcity  prevails  of  every  article,  not 


262  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

only  of  luxury  but  even  the  necessaries  of  life,  is  a  certain 
fact.  Everything  bears  an  exorbitant  price.  The  Act, 
which  was'  in  some  measure  regarded  and  stemmed  the 
torrent  of  oppression,  is  now  no  more  heeded  than  if  it  had 
never  been  made.  Indian  corn  at  five  shillings ;  rye, 
eleven  and  twelve  shillings,  but  scarcely  any  to  be  had 
even  at  that  price ;  beef,  eightpence  ;  veal,  sixpence  and 
eightpence  ;  butter,  one  and  sixpence ;  mutton,  none  ; 
lamb,  none ;  pork,  none ;  mean  sugar,  four  pounds  per 
hundred ;  molasses,  none ;  cotton-wool,  none  ;  New  Eng 
land  rum,  eight  shillings  per  gallon ;  coffee,  two  and  six 
pence  per  pound  ;  chocolate,  three  shillings. 

What  can  be  done  ?  Will  gold  and  silver  remedy  this 
evil  ?  By  your  accounts  of  board,  horsekeeping,  etc.,  I 
fancy  you  are  not  better  off  than  we  are  here.  I  live  in 
hopes  that  we  see  the  most  difficult  time  we  have  to  expe 
rience.  Why  is  Carolina  so  much  better  furnished  than 
any  other  State,  and  at  so  reasonable  prices  ? 

I  hate  to  tell  a  story  unless  I  am  fully  informed  of 
every  particular.  As  it  happened  yesterday,  and  to-day  is 
Sunday,  I  have  not  been  so  fully  informed  as  I  could  wish. 
About  eleven  o'clock  yesterday  William  Jackson,  Dick 
Green,  Harry  Perkins,  and  Sargent,  of  Cape  Ann,  and  A. 
Carry,  of  Charlestown,  were  carted  out  of  Boston  under 
the  direction  of  Joice  *  junior,  who  was  mounted  on  horse 
back,  with  a  red  coat,  a  white  wig,  and  a  drawn  sword, 
with  drum  and  fife  following.  A  concourse  of  people  to 
the  amount  of  five  hundred  followed.  They  proceeded  as 
far  as  Roxbury,  when  he  ordered  the  cart  to  be  tipped  up, 
then  told  them  if  they  were  ever  caught  in  town  again  it 
should  be  at  the  expense  of  their  lives.  He  then  ordered 
his  gang  to  return,  which  they  did  immediately  without 
any  disturbance. 

Whether  they  had  been  guilty  of  any  new  offense  I  can 
not  learn.  'T  is  said  that  a  week  or  two  ago  there  was  a 

1  A  man  used  to  ride  on  an  ass,  with  immense  jack  boots  and  his  face  cov 
ered  with  a  horrible  mask,  and  was  called  Joice  junior.  His  office  was  to 
assemble  men  and  boys  in  mob  style,  and  ride,  in  the  middle  of  them,  to  ter 
rify  the  adherents  to  the  royal  government.  —  Niks' s  Principles  and  Acts  of 
ihe,  Revolution,  p.  490. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  263 

public  auction  at  Salem,  when  these  five  Tories  wen-t  down 
and  bid  up  the  articles  to  an  enormous  price,  in  consequence 
of  which  they  were  complained  of  by  the  Salem  Com 
mittee.  Two  of  them,  I  hear,  took  refuge  in  this  town  last 
night. 

I  believe  we  shall  be  the  last  State  to  assume  govern 
ment.  Whilst  we  harbor  such  a  number  of  designing 
Tories  amongst  us,  we  shall  find  government  disregarded 
and  every  measure  brought  into  contempt  by  secretly 
undermining  and  openly  contemning  them.  We  abound 
with  designing  Tories  and  ignorant,  avaricious  Whigs. 

Monday,  21st. 

Have  now  learned  the  crime  of  the  carted  Tories.  It 
seems  they  have  refused  to  take  paper  money,  and  offered 
their  goods  lower  for  silver  than  for  paper  ;  bought  up 
articles  at  a  dear  rate,  and  then  would  not  part  with  them 
for  paper. 

Yesterday  arrived  two  French  vessels  —  one  a  twenty, 
some  say  thirty-six  gun  frigate  ;  dry  goods,  and  four  hun 
dred  stand  of  arms,  't  is  said  they  contain.  I  believe  I 
wrote  you  that  Manly  had  sailed,  but  it  was  only  as  far  as 
Cape  Ann.  He  and  MacNeal  both  lie  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor. 

173.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  23    April,  1777. 

Mr  barber  has  just  left  the  chamber.  The  following 
curious  dialogue  was  the  amusement  during  the  gay  mo 
ments  of  shaving. 

"  Well,  Burne,  what  is  the  lie  of  the  day  ?  " 

"  Sir,  Mr.  —  -  told  me  that  a  privateer  from  Baltimore 
has  taken  two  valuable  prizes  with  sixteen  guns  each.  I 
can  scarcely  believe  it." 

"  Have  you  heard  of  the  success  of  the  Rattlesnake,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  Sturdy  Beggar,  of  Maryland,  Mr. 
Burne  ?  These  two  privateers  have  taken  eleven  prizes, 
and  sent  them  into  the  West  India  Islands ;  nine  transports 
and  two  Guinea-men." 


264  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

"  Confound  the  ill  luck,  sir ;  I  was  going  to  sea  myself  on 
board  the  Rattlesnake,  and  my  wife  fell  a-yelping.  These 
wives  are  queer  things.  I  told  her  I  wondered  she  had  no 
more  ambition.  '  Now,'  says  I,  l  when  you  walk  the 
streets  and  anybody  asks  who  that  is,  the  answer  is, 
"  Burne  the  barber s  wife"  Should  you  not  be  better 
pleased  to  hear  it  said,  "  That  is  Captain  Burne  s  lady,  the 
captain  of  marines  on  board  the  Rattlesnake  "  ?  '  '  Oh,'  says 
she, '  I  would  rather  be  called  Burne  the  barber's  wife,  than 
Captain  Burne's  widow.  I  don't  desire  to  live  better  than 
you  maintain  me,  my  dear/  So  it  is,  sir,  by  this  sweet, 
honey  language,  I  am  choused  out  of  my  prizes,  and  must 
go  on  with  my  soap  and  razors  and  pincers  and  combs.  I 
wish  she  had  my  ambition." 

If  this  letter  should  be  intercepted  by  the  Tories,  they 
will  get  a  booty.  Let  them  enjoy  it.  If  some  of  their 
wives  had  been  as  tender  and  discreet  as  the  barber's,  their 
husbands'  ambition  would  not  have  led  them  into  so  many 
salt  ponds.  What  an  ignis  fatuus  this  ambition  is  ?  How 
few  of  either  sex  have  arrived  at  Mrs.  Burne's  pitch  of 
moderation,  and  are  able  to  say,  "  I  don't  desire  to  live 
better,  and  had  rather  be  the  Barber's  wife  than  the  Cap 
tain's  widow  !  "  Quite  smart,  I  think,  as  well  as  philo 
sophical. 

174.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

^^Philadelphia,    Saturday  Evening,  26  April,  1777. 

I  HAVE  been  lately  more  remiss  than  usual  in  writing 
to  you.  There  has  been  a  great  dearth  of  news.  Nothing 
from  England,  nothing  from  France,  Spain,  or  any  other 
part  of  Europe,  nothing  from  the  West  Indies,  nothing 
from  Howe  and  his  banditti,  nothing  from  General  Wash 
ington.  There  are  various  conjectures  that  Lord  Howe  is 
dead,  sick,  or  gone  to  England,  as  the  proclamations  run  in 
the  name  of  Will.  Howe  only,  and  nobody  from  New  York 
can  tell  anything  of  his  lordship. 

I  am  wearied  out  with  expectations  that  the  Massachu 
setts  troops  would  have  arrived,  ere  now,  at  Head-quar 
ters.  Do  our  people  intend  to  leave  the  continent  in  the 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  265 

lurch  ?  Do  they  mean  to  submit  ?  or  what  fatality  attends 
them  ?  With  the  noblest  prize  in  view  that  ever  mortals 
contended  for,  and  with  the  fairest  prospect  of  obtaining  it 
upon  easy  terms,  the  people  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  are 
dead.  Does  our  State  intend  to  send  only  half  or  a  third 
of  their  quota  ?  Do  they  wish  to  see  another  crippled,  dis 
astrous,  and  disgraceful  campaign,  for  want  of  an  army  ? 
I  am  more  sick  and  more  ashamed  of  my  own  countrymen 
than  ever  I  was  before.  The  spleen,  the  vapors,  the  dis 
mals,  the  horrors  seem  to  have  seized  our  whole  State. 
More  wrath  than  terror  has  seized  me.  I  am  very  mad. 
The  gloomy  cowardice  of  the  times  is  intolerable  in  New 
England.  Indeed,  I  feel  not  a  little  out  of  humor  from 
indisposition  of  body.  You  know  I  cannot  pass  a  spring 
or  fall  without  an  ill  turn,  and  I  have  had  one  these  four 
or  five  weeks ;  a  cold,  as  usual.  Warm  weather  and  a 
little  exercise,  with  a  little  medicine,  I  suppose,  will  cure 
me,  as  usual.  I  am  not  confined,  but  mope  about  and 
drudge,  as  usual,  like  a  galley-slave.  I  am  a  fool,  if  ever 
there  was  one,  to  be  such  a  slave.  I  won't  be  much  longer. 
I  will  be  more  free  in  some  world  or  other.  Is  it  not  in 
tolerable,  that  the  opening  spring,  which  I  should  enjoy 
with  my  wife  and  children,  upon  my  little  farm,  should  pass 
away,  and  laugh  at  me  for  laboring,  day  after  day  and 
month  after  month,  in  a  conclave  where  neither  taste,  nor 
fancy,  nor  reason,  nor  passion,  nor  appetite  can  be  grati 
fied  ? 

Posterity !  you  will  never  know  how  much  it  cost  the 
present  generation  to  preserve  your  freedom  !  I  hope  you 
will  make  a  good  use  of  it.  If  you  do  not,  I  shall  repent  it 
in  heaven  that  I  ever  took  half  the  pains  to  preserve  it. 

175.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

— : -Philadelphia,  27  April,  1777. 

YOUR  favors  of  April  2d  and  7th  I  have  received.  The 
inclosed  "  Evening  Post "  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
humanity  of  the  present  race  of  Britons.  My  barber, 
whom  I  quote  as  often  as  ever  I  did  any  authority,  says 
"  he  has  read  histories  of  cruelty  and  he  has  read  romances 


266  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

of  cruelty,  but  the  cruelty  of  the  British  exceeds  all  that 
he  ever  read."  For  my  own  part  I  think  we  cannot  dwell 
too  mucli  on  this  part  of  their  character  and  conduct.  It 
is  full  of  important  lessons.  If  the  facts  only  were  known, 
in  the  utmost  simplicity  of  narration,  they  would  strike 
every  pious  and  humane  bosom  in  Great  Britain  with 
horror.  Every  conscience  in  that  country  is  not  callous, 
nor  every  heart  hardened.  The  plainest  relation  of  facts 
would  interest  the  sympathy  and  compassion  of  all  Europe 
in  our  favor.  And  it  would  convince  every  American 
that  a  nation,  so  great  a  part  of  which  is  thus  deeply  de 
praved,  can  never  be  again  trusted  with  power  over  us.  I 
think  that  not  only  history  should  perform  her  office,  but 
painting,  sculpture,  statuary,  and  poetry  ought  to  assist,  in 
publishing  to  the  world  and  perpetuating  to  posterity  the 
horrid  deeds  of  our  enemies.  It  will  show  the  persecution 
we  suffer  in  defense  of  our  rights  ;  it  will  show  the  forti 
tude,  patience,  perseverance,  and  magnanimity  of  Ameri 
cans,  in  as  strong  a  light  as  the  barbarity  and  impiety  of 
Britons,  in  this  persecuting  war.  Surely  impiety  consists 
in  destroying  with  such  hellish  barbarity  the  rational  works 
of  the  Deity,  as  much  as  in  blaspheming  and  defying  his 
majesty. 

If  there  is  a  moral  law,  if  there  is  a  divine  law,  —  and 
that  there  is,  every  intelligent  creature  is  conscious,  —  to 
trample  on  these  laws,  to  hold  them  in  contempt  and  defi 
ance,  is  the  highest  exertion  of  wickedness  and  impiety  that 
mortals  can  be  guilty  of.  The  author  of  human  nature, 
who  can  give  it  its  rights,  will  not  see  it  ruined,  and  suffer 
its  destroyers  to  escape  with  impunity.  Divine  vengeance 
will,  some  time  or  other,  overtake  the  Alberts,  the  Philips 
and  Georges,  the  Alvas,  the  Geslers,  and  Howes,  and  vin 
dicate  the  wrongs  of  oppressed  human  nature.  I  think 
that  medals  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper  ought  to  be  struck 
in  commemoration  of  the  shocking  cruelties,  the  brutal 
barbarities,  and  the  diabolical  impieties  of  this  war  ;  and 
these  should  be  contrasted  with  the  kindness,  tenderness, 
humanity,  and  philanthropy  which  have  marked  the  conduct 
of  Americans  towards  their  prisoners.  It  is  remarkable 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  267 

that  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  our  enemies  are  so  totally 
depraved,  so  completely  destitute  of  the  sentiments  of  phi 
lanthropy  in  their  own  hearts,  that  they  cannot  believe  that 
such  delicate  feelings  can  exist  in  any  other,  and  therefore 
have  constantly  ascribed  that  milk  and  honey  with  which 
we  have  treated  them,  to  fear,  cowardice,  and  conscious 
weakness.  But  in  this  they  are  mistaken,  and  will  discover 
their  mistake  too  late  to  answer  any  good  purpose  for 
them. 

176.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,   28  April,  1777. 

THERE  is  a  clock  calm  at  this  time  in  the  political  and 
military  hemispheres.  The  surface  is  smooth  and  the  air 
serene.  Not  a  breath  nor  a  wave,  no  news  nor  noise. 

Nothing  would  promote  our  cause  more  than  Howe's 
march  to  this  town.  Nothing  quickens  and  determines 
people  so  much  as  a  little  smart.  The  Germans,  who  are 
numerous  and  wealthy  in  this  State,  and  who  have  very 
imperfect  ideas  of  freedom,  have  a  violent  attachment  to 
property.  They  are  passionate  and  vindictive,  in  a  degree 
that  is  scarcely  credible  to  persons  who  are  unacquainted 
with  them,  and  the  least  injury  to  their  property  excites  a 
resentment  beyond  description.  A  few  houses  and  plan 
tations  plundered  (as  many  would  be  if  Howe  should  come 
here)  would  set  them  all  on  fire.  Nothing  would  unite 
and  determine  Pennsylvania  so  effectually.  The  passions 
of  men  must  cooperate  with  their  reason  in  the  prosecution 
of  a  war.  The  public  may  be  clearly  convinced  that  a 
war  is  just,  and  yet,  until  their  passions  are  excited,  will 
carry  it  languidly  on.  The  prejudices,  the  anger,  the 
hatred  of  the  English  against  the  French  contributes 
greatly  to  their  valor  and  success.  The  British  Court  and 
their  officers  have  studied  to  excite  the  same  passions  in 
the  breasts  of  their  soldiers  against  the  Americans,  well 
knowing  their  powerful  effects.  We,  on  the  contrary, 
have  treated  their  characters  with  too  much  tenderness. 
The  Howes,  their  officers,  and  soldiers  too,  ought  to  be 
held  up  to  the  contempt,  derision,  hatred,  and  abhorrence 


268  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

of  the  populace  in  every  State,  and  of  the  common  soldiers 
in  every  army.  It  would  give  me  no  pain  to  see  them 
burned  or  hanged  in  effigy  in  every  town  and  village. 


I//. 

Philadelphia,  4   May,  1777. 

INCLOSED  with  this  you  will  have  an  "  Evening  Post  " 
containing  some  of  the  tender  mercies  of  the  barbarians  to 
their  prisoners.  If  there  is  a  man,  woman,  or  child  in 
America  who  can  read  these  depositions  without  resent 
ment  and  horror,  that  person  has  no  soul,  or  a  very  wicked 
one.  Their  treatment  of  prisoners  last  year,  added  to  an 
act  of  Parliament  which  they  have  made,  to  enable  them 
to  send  prisoners  to  England,  to  be  there  murdered  with 
still  more  relentless  cruelty  in  prisons,  will  bring  our  offi 
cers  and  soldiers  to  the  universal  resolution  to  conquer  or 
die.  This  maxim,  "  CONQUER  OR  DIE,"  never  failed  to 
raise  a  people  who  adopted  it  to  the  head  of  mankind. 
An  express  from  Portsmouth,  last  night,  brought  us  news 
of  the  arrival  of  arms  and  ordnance  enough  to  enable  us  to 
take  vengeance  of  these  foes  of  human  nature. 

178.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

6  May,  1777. 

'T  is  ten  days,  I  believe,  since  I  wrote  you  a  line,  yet  not 
ten  minutes  pass  without  thinking  of  you.  'T  is  four  months 
wanting  three  days  since  we  parted.  Every  day  of  the 
time  I  have  mourned  the  absence  of  my  friend,  and  felt  a 
vacancy  in  my  heart  which  nothing,  nothing  can  supply. 
In  vain  the  spring  blooms  or  the  birds  sing.  Their  music 
has  not  its  former  melody,  nor  the  spring  its  usual  pleas 
ures.  I  look  around  with  a  melancholy  delight  and  sigh 
for  my  absent  partner.  I  fancy  I  see  you  worn  down  with 
cares,  fatigued  with  business,  and  solitary  amidst  a  multi 
tude. 

And  I  think  it  probable  before  this  reaches  you  that 
you  may  be  driven  from  the  city  by  our  barbarous  and 
hostile  foes,  and  the  city  sharing  the  fate  of  Chaiiestown 
and  Falmouth,  Norfolk  and  Daubury.  So  vague  and  un- 


1777.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  269 

certain  are  the  accounts  with  regard  to  the  latter,  that  I 
shall  not  pretend  to  mention  them.  'Tis  more  than  a  week 
since  the  event,  yet  we  have  no  accounts  which  can  be  de 
pended  upon.  I  wish  it  may  serve  the  valuable  purpose  of 
arousing  our  degenerated  countrymen  from  that  state  of 
security  and  torpitude  into  which  they  seem  to  be  sunk. 

9  May. 

I  have  been  prevented  writing  for  several  days  by  com 
pany  from  town.  Since  I  wrote  you  I  have  received  sev 
eral  letters;  two  of  the  13th  of  April,  one  of  the  19th,  and 
one  of  the  22d.  Though  some  of  them  were  very  short,  I 
will  not  complain.  I  rejoice  to  hear  from  you  though  you 
write  but  a  line. 

Since  the  above  we  have  some  account  of  the  affair  at 
Daiibury,  and  of  the  loss  of  General  Wooster.*  That 
they  had  no  more  assistance,  't  is  said,  was  owing  to  six  ex 
presses  being  stopped  by  the  Tories.  We  shall  never 
prosper  till  we  fall  upon  some  method  to  extirpate  that 
blood-thirsty  set  of  men.  Too  much  lenity  will  prove  our 
ruin.  We  have  rumors  too  of  an  action  at  Brunswick 
much  to  our  advantage,  but  little  credit  is  yet  given  to  the 
report.  I  wish  we  may  be  able  to  meet  them  in  the  field, 
to  encounter  and  conquer  so  vile  an  enemy. 

The  two  Continental  frigates  lie  windbound,  with  three 
brigs  of  twenty  guns  and  some  others,  which  are  all  going 
out  in  company.  The  wind  has  been  a  long  time  at  east 
and  prevented  the  vessels  from  going  out. 

I  was  mistaken  in  my  brother's  going  with  MacNeal. 
He  is  going  in  the  Darter,  a  vessel  which  mounts  twenty- 
four  guns,  is  private  property,  but  sails  with  the  fleet. 

I  cannot  write  you  half  so  much  as  I  would.  I  have 
left  company  because  I  would  not  lose  an  opportunity  of 
sending  this.  Believe  me,  etc. 

I  must  add  a  little  more.  A  most  horrid  plot  has  been 
discovered  of  a  band  of  villains  counterfeiting  the  Hamp 
shire  currency  to  a  great  amount.  No  person  scarcely  but 

1  Inclosed  with  the  letter  appears  an  official  copy  of  a  report  of  the  loss  of 
men  and  stores  at  Danbury. 


270  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

what  has  more  or  less  of  these  bills.  I  am  unlucky  enough 
to  have  about  five  pounds  L.  M.  of  it,  but  this  is  not  the 
worst  of  it.  One  Colonel  Farrington,  who  has  been  con 
cerned  in  the  plot,  was  taken  sick,  and  has  confessed  not 
only  the  counterfeiting,  but  says  they  had  engaged  and  en 
listed  near  two  thousand  men,  who,  upon  the  troops'  coming 
to  Boston,  were  to  fall  upon  the  people  and  make  a  general 
havoc. 

How  much  more  merciful  God  is  than  man,  in  thus  prov 
identially  bringing  to  light  these  horrid  plots  and  schemes. 
I  doubt  not  Heaven  will  still  continue  to  favor  us  unless 
our  iniquities  prevent.  The  Hampshire  people  have  been 
stupid  enough  to  let  one  of  the  principal  plotters,  Colonel 
Holland,  out  upon  bail,  and  he  has  made  his  escape. 


179. 

Philadelphia,  7  May,  177T. 

WE  have  no  news  here  except  what  we  get  from  your 
country.  The  privateers  act  with  great  spirit,  and  are 
blessed  with  remarkable  success.  Some  merchant  ships 
are  arrived  this  week  from  Maryland.  They  were  first 
chased  by  men-of-war  in  attempting  to  get  into  Chesa 
peake  Bay.  They  ran  from  them  and  attempted  Delaware 
Bay.  There  they  were  chased  again,  whereupon  they 
again  shifted  their  course  for  Chesapeake,  and  got  in  safe, 
in  spite  of  all  the  men-of-war  could  do.  Thus,  you  see, 
we  can  and  will  have  trade  in  spite  of  them,  and  this  trade 
will  probably  increase  fast.  It  requires  time  for  the  stream 
of  commerce  to  alter  its  channel.  Time  is  necessary  for 
our  merchants  and  foreign  merchants  to  think,  plan,  and 
correspond  with  each  other.  Time,  also,  is  necessary  for 
our  masters  of  vessels  and  mariners  to  become  familiar 
with  the  coasts,  forts,  and  harbors  of  foreign  countries,  and 
a  longer  time  still  is  needful  for  French,  Spanish,  and 
Dutch  masters  and  mariners  to  learn  our  coasts  and  har 
bors.  Yours  ever,  ever  yours. 


1777.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  271 

1 80.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  10  May,  1777. 

THE  day  before  yesterday  I  took  a  walk  with  my  friend 
Whipple  to  Mrs.  Wells's,  the  sister  of  the  famous  Mrs. 
"Wright,1  to  see  her  wax-work.  She  has  two  chambers 

& 

filled  with  it.  In  one,  the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son  is 
represented.  The  prodigal  is  prostrate  on  his  knees  be 
fore  his  father,  whose  joy  and  grief  and  compassion  all  ap 
pear  in  his  eyes  and  face,  struggling  with  each  other.  A 
servant-maid,  at  the  father's  command,  is  pulling  down 
from  a  closet  shelf  the  choicest  robes  to  clothe  the  prod 
igal,  who  is  all  in  rags.  At  an  outward  door  in  a  corner 
of  the  room  stands  the  brother,  chagrined  at  this  festivity, 
a  servant  coaxing  him  to  come  in.  A  large  number  of 
guests  are  placed  round  the  room.  In  another  chamber 
are  the  figures  of  Chatham,  Franklin,  Sawbridge,  Mrs. 
Macauley,  and  several  others.  At  a  corner  is  a  miser,  sit 
ting  at  his  table  weighing  his  gold,  his  bag  upon  one  side 
of  the  table  and  a  thief  behind  him  endeavoring  to  pilfer 
the  bag. 

There  is  genius  as  well  as   taste  and  art  discovered  in 

o 

this  exhibition.  But  I  must  confess  the  whole  scene  was 
disagreeable  to  me.  The  imitation  of  life  was  too  faint, 
and  I  seemed  to  be  walking  among  a  group  of  corpses, 
standing,  sitting,  and  walking,  laughing,  singing,  crying,  and 
weeping.  This  art,  I  think,  will  make  but  little  progress 
in  the  world. 

Another  historical  piece  I  forgot,  which  is  Elisha  restor 
ing  to  life  the  Shunamite's  son.  The  joy  of  the  mother 
upon  discovering  the  first  symptoms  of  life  in  the  child  is 
pretty  strongly  expressed.  Dr.  Chovet's  wax-work,  in 
which  all  the  various  parts  of  the  human  body  are  rep 
resented  for  the  benefit  of  young  students  in  anatomy, 
and  of  which  I  gave  you  a  particular  description  a  year  or 
two  ago,  was  much  more  pleasing  to  me.  Wax  is  much 
fitter  to  represent  dead  bodies  than  living  ones. 

i  Mrs.  Wright  was  the  niece  of  John  "Wesley.  Soon  after  this  she  went  to 
England,  where  she  made  herself  quite  useful  to  the  American  cause.  Mrs. 
Adams  gives  some  account  of  her  in  one  of  her  letters  written  from  London  in 
1784. 


272  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

Upon  a  hint  from  one  of  our  Commissioners  abroad,  we 
are  looking  about  for  American  curiosities  to  send  across 
the  Atlantic  as  presents  to  the  ladies.  Mr.  Rittenhouse's 
planetarium,  Mr.  Arnold's  collection  of  varieties  in  the 
virtuoso  way,  which  I  once  saw  at  Norwalk  in  Connecti 
cut,  Narraganset  pacing  mares,  mooses,  wood-ducks,  flying 
squirrels,  red-winged  blackbirds,  cranberries,  and  rattle 
snakes  have  all  been  thought  of.  Is  not  this  a  pretty  em 
ployment  for  great  statesmen  as  we  think  ourselves  to  be  ? 
Frivolous  as  it  seems,  it  may  be  of  some  consequence. 
Little  attentions  have  great  influence.  I  think,  however, 
we  ought  to  consult  the  ladies  upon  this  point.  Pray 
what  is  your  opinion  ? 

1 8 r.  JOHN  ^AD^IS. 

Philadelphia,  15   May,  1777. 

GENERAL  WARREN  writes  me  that  my  farm  never 

looked  better  than  when  he  last  saw  it,  and  that  Mrs. 

was  likely  to  outshine  all  the  farmers.  I  wish  I  could  see 
it.  But  I  can  make  allowances.  He  knows  the  weakness 
of  his  friend's  heart,  and  that  nothing  flatters  it  more  than 
praises  bestowed  upon  a  certain  lady.  I  am  suffering 
every  day  for  want  of  my  farm  to  ramble  in.  I  have 
been  now  for  near  ten  weeks  in  a  drooping,  disagreeable 
way,  constantly  loaded  with  a  cold.  In  the  midst  of  in 
finite  noise,  hurry,  and  bustle,  I  lead  a  lonely,  melancholy 
life,  mourning  the  loss  of  all  the  charms  of  life,  which  are 
my  family,  and  all  the  amusements  that  I  ever  had  in  life, 
which  is  my  farm.  If  the  warm  weather,  which  is  now 
coming  on,  should  not  cure  my  cold  and  make  me  better, 
I  must  come  home.  If  it  should,  and  I  should  get  toler 
ably  comfortable,  I  shall  stay,  and  reconcile  myself  to  the 
misery  I  here  suffer  as  well  as  I  can.  I  expect  that  I 
shall  be  chained  to  this  oar  until  my  constitution  both 
of  mind  and  body  are  totally  destroyed  and  rendered 
wholly  useless  to  myself  and  family  for  the  remainder  of 
my  days. 

However,  now  we  have  got  over  the  dreary,  dismal, 
torpid  winter,  when  we  had  no  army,  not  even  three  thou- 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  273 

sand  men,  to  protect  us  against  all  our  enemies,  foreign  and 
domestic,  arid  now  we  have  got  together  a  pretty  respect 
able  army,  which  renders  us  tolerably  secure  against  both, 
I  doubt  not  we  shall  be  able  to  persuade  some  gentleman 
or  other  in  the  Massachusetts  to  vouchsafe  to  undertake 
the  dangerous  office  of  delegate  to  Congress.  However, 
I  will  neither  whine  nor  croak.  The  moment  our  affairs 
are  in  a  prosperous  way  and  a  little  more  out  of  doubt, 
that  moment  I  become  a  private  gentleman,  the  respectful 
husband  of  the  amiable  Mrs.  A.,  of  B.,  and  the  affectionate 
father  of  her  children,  two  characters  which  I  have  scarcely 
supported  for  these  three  years  past,  having  done  the  duties 
of  neither. 

182.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  IT  May,  1777. 

I  NEVER  fail  to  inclose  to  you  the  newspapers,  which 
contain  the  most  intelligence  that  comes  to  my  knowledge. 
I  am  obliged  to  slacken  my  attention  to  business  a  little, 
and  ride  and  walk  for  the  sake  of  my  health,  which  is  but 
infirm.  Oh,  that  I  could  wander  upon  Perm's  hill  and  in 
the  meadows  and  mountains  in  its  neighborhood,  free  from 
care !  But  this  is  a  felicity  too  great  for  me. 

Mr.  Gorham  and  Mr.  Russell  are  here  with  a  petition 
from  Charlestown.  It  grieves  me  that  they  are  to  return 
without  success.  I  feel,  most  exquisitely,  for  the  unhappy 
people  of  that  town.  Their  agents  have  done  everything 
in  their  power  or  in  the  power  of  men  to  do,  and  the 
Massachusetts  delegates  have  seconded  their  efforts  to  the 
utmost  of  their  power,  but  all  in  vain.  The  distress  of  the 
States,  arising  from  the  quantity  of  money  abroad,  and  the 
monstrous  demands  that  would  be  made  from  Virginia,  New 
Jersey,  New  York,  and  elsewhere,  if  a  precedent  should  be 
once  set,  has  determined  the  Congress,  almost  with  tears  in 
their  eyes,  to  withstand  this  application  at  present.  Every 
man  expressed  the  utmost  tenderness  and  humanity  upon 
the  occasion ;  but  at  the  same  time  every  man,  except  the 
Massachusetts  delegates,  expressed  his  full  conviction  of  the 
ill  policy  of  granting  anything  at  present. 
18 


274  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

183.   ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Sunday,  18  May,  1777. 

I  THINK  myself  very  happy  that  not  a  week  passes  but 
what  I  receive  a  letter  or  two,  sometimes  more,  from  you  ; 
and  though  they  are  longer  in  coming  than  formerly,  ow 
ing,  I  suppose,  to  the  post  being  obliged  to  travel  farther 
round,  yet  I  believe  they  all  faithfully  reach  me  ;  even  the 
curious  conversation  between  Mr.  Burne  and  your  honor 
arrived  safe,  and  made  me  laugh  very  heartily. 

I  think  before  this  time  many  of  our  troops  must  have 
arrived  at  headquarters,  for  though  we  have  been  dilatory 
in  this  and  the  neighboring  towns,  others,  I  hear,  have 
done  their  duty  better.  Not  an  hour  in  the  day  but  what 
we  see  soldiers  marching.  The  sure  way  to  prevent  their 
distressing  us  here  would  be  to  have  a  strong  army  with 
the  General.  There  are  a  number,  not  more  than  half,  I 
believe  though,  of  this  town's  proportion,  enlisted.  The 
rest  were  to  be  drawn  at  our  May  meeting,  but  as  nothing 
was  done  in  that  way,  they  concluded  to  try  a  little  longer 
to  enlist  them.  The  town  send  but  one  representative 

this  year,  and  that  is  Mr.  N s,  of  the  middle  parish. 

Give  him  his  pipe  and  let  him  laugh,  he  will  not  trouble 
anybody. 

Phileleutheros  I  suppose  will  be  chosen  into  the  Council, 
since  he  finds  that  the  plan  for  making  them  lackeys  and 
tools  to  the  House  was  not  so  acceptable  as  he  expected. 

"  Then  let  me  have  the  highest  post, 
Suppose  it  but  an  inch  at  most." 

I  should  feel  more  unhappy  and  anxious  than  ever  if  I 
realized  our  being  again  invaded  by  the  wickedness  and 
cruelty  of  our  enemies.  The  recital  of  the  inhuman  and 
brutal  treatment  of  those  poor  creatures  who  have  fallen 
into  their  hands  freezes  me  with  horror. 

'T  is  an  observation  of  Bishop  Butler's  that  they  who 
have  lost  all  tenderness  and  fellow-feeling  for  others  have 
withal  contracted  a  certain  callousness  of  heart  which  ren 
ders  them  insensible  to  all  other  satisfactions  but  those  of 
the  grossest  kind.  Our  enemies  have  found  the  truth  of 
the  observation  in  every  instance  of  their  conduct.  Is  it 


.777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  275 

not  astonishing  what  men  may  at  last  bring  themselves  to 
by  suppressing  passions  and  affections  of  the  best  kind, 
and  suffering  the  worst  to  rule  over  them  in  their  full 
strength  ? 

Infidelity  has  been  a  growing  part  of  the  British  char 
acter  for  many  years.  It  is  not  so  much  to  be  wondered 
at  that  those  who  pay  no  regard  to  a  Supreme  Being  should 
throw  off  all  regard  to  their  fellow-creatures  and  to  those 
precepts  and  doctrines  which  require  peace  and  good  will 
to  men,  and  in  a  particular  manner  distinguish  the  follow 
ers  of  Him  who  hath  said,  "  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  towards  an 
other." 

Let  them  reproach  us  ever  so  much  for  our  kindness 
and  tenderness  to  those  who  have  fallen  into  our  hands, 
I  hope  it  will  never  provoke  us  to  retaliate  their  cruelties. 
Let  us  put  it  as  much  as  possible  out  of  their  power  to  in 
jure  us,  but  let  us  keep  in  mind  the  precepts  of  Him  who 
hath  commanded  us  to  love  our  enemies  and  to  exercise 
towards  them  acts  of  humanity,  benevolence,  and  kindness, 
even  when  they  despitefully  use  us. 

And  here  suffer  me  to  quote  an  authority  which  you 
greatly  esteem,  Dr.  Tillotson  :  — 

"  It  is  commonly  said  that  revenge  is  sweet,  but  to  a 
calm  and  considerate  mind  patience  and  forgiveness  are 
sweeter,  and  do  afford  a  much  more  rational  and  solid  and 
durable  pleasure  than  revenge.  The  monuments  of  our 
mercy  and  goodness  are  a  far  more  pleasing  and  delightful 
spectacle  than  of  our  rage  and  cruelty,  and  no  sort  of 
thought  does  usually  haunt  men  with  more  terror  than  the 
reflection  upon  what  they  have  done  in  the  way  of  re 
venge." 

If  our  cause  is  just,  it  will  be  best  supported  by  justice 
and  righteousness.  Though  we  have  many  other  crimes 
to  answer  for,  that  of  cruelty  to  our  enemies  is  not  charge 
able  upon  Americans,  and  I  hope  never  will  be.  If  we 
have  erred  it  is  upon  the  side  of  mercy  ;  and  we  have  ex 
ercised  so  much  lenity  to  our  enemies  as  to  endanger  our 
friends.  But  their  malice  and  wicked  designs  against  us 


276  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

have  and  will  oblige  every  State  to  proceed  against  them 
with  more  rigor.  Justice  and  self-preservation  are  duties 
as  much  incumbent  upon  Christians  as  forgiveness  and  love 
of  enemies. 

Adieu.  I  have  devoted  an  hour  this  day  to  you.  I 
dare  say  you  are  not  in  debt. 

Ever  remember  with  the  tenderest  affection  one  whose 
greatest  felicity  consists  in  the  belief  of  a  love  unabated 
either  by  years  or  absence.  PORTIA. 

JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  22  May,  4  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

AFTER  a  series  of  the  severest  and  harshest  weather 
that  ever  I  felt  in  this  climate,  we  are  at  last  blessed  with 
a  bright  sun  and  a  soft  air.  The  weather  here  has  been 
like  our  old  easterly  winds  to  me  and  southerly  winds  to 
you.  The  charms  of  the  morning  at  this  hour  are  irre 
sistible.  The  streaks  of  glory  dawning  in  the  east,  the 
freshness  and  purity  in  the  air,  the  bright  blue  of  the  sky, 
the  sweet  warblings  of  a  great  variety  of  birds  intermin 
gling  with  the  martial  clarions  of  a  hundred  cocks  now 
within  my  hearing,  all  conspire  to  cheer  the  spirits. 

This  kind  of  puerile  description  is  a  very  pretty  employ 
ment  for  an  old  fellow  whose  brow  is  furrowed  with  the 
cares  of  politics  and  war.  I  shall  be  on  horseback  in  a 
few  minutes,  and  then  I  shall  enjoy  the  morning  in  more 
perfection.  I  spent  last  evening  at  the  war  office  with 
General  Arnold.  He  has  been  basely  slandered  and 
libeled.  The  regulars  say  "he  fought  like  Julius  Caesar."  l 
I  am  wearied  to  death  with  the  wrangles  between  military 
officers,  high  and  low.  They  quarrel  like  cats  and  dogs. 
They  worry  one  another  like  mastiffs,  scrambling  for  rank 
and  pay  like  apes  for  nuts.  I  believe  there  is  no  one 
principle  which  predominates  inhuman  nature  so  much,  in 
every  stage  of  life  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  in  males 
and  females,  old  and  young,  black  and  white,  rich  and 
poor,  high  and  low,  as  this  passion  for  superiority.  Every 
human  being  compares  itself  in  its  imagination  with  every 

l  At  Danbury.     This  caused  a  temporary  reaction  in  Congress  in  his  favor. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  277 

other  round  about  it,  and  will  find  some  superiority  over 
every  other,  real  or  imaginary,  or  it  will  die  of  grief  and 
vexation.  I  have  seen  it  among  boys  and  girls  at  school, 
among  lads  at  college,  among  practitioners  at  the  bar, 
among  the  clergy  in  their  associations,  among  clubs  of 
friends,  among  the  people  in  town-meetings,  among  the 
members  of  a  House  of  Representatives,  among  the  grave 
councillors  on  the  more  solemn  bench  of  justice,  and  in 
that  awfully  august  body,  the  Congress,  and  on  many  of  its 
committees,  and  among  ladies  everywhere  ;  but  I  never 
saw  it  operate  with  such  keenness,  ferocity,  and  fury  as 
among  military  officers.  They  will  go  terrible  lengths  in 
their  emulation,  their  envy,  and  revenge  in  consequence  of 
it. 

So  much  for  philosophy.  I  hope  my  five  or  six  babes 
are  all  well.  My  duty  to  my  mother  and  your  father,  and 
love  to  sisters  and  brothers,  aunts  and  uncles.  Pray  how 
does  your  asparagus  perform  ?  etc.  I  would  give  three 
guineas  for  a  barrel  of  your  cider.  Not  one  drop  is  to  be 
had  here  for  gold,  and  wine  is  not  to  be  had  under  six  or 
eight  dollars  a  gallon,  and  that  very  bad.  I  would  give  a 
guinea  for  a  barrel  of  your  beer.  The  small  beer  here  is 
wretchedly  bad.  In  short,  I  can  get  nothing  that  I  can 
drink,  and  I  believe  I  shall  be  sick  from  this  cause  alone. 
Rum,  at  forty  shillings  a  gallon,  and  bad  water  will  never 
do  in  this  hot  climate  in  summer,  when  acid  liquors  are 
necessary  against  putrefaction. 

AI>AMS. 


Philadelphia,  25  May,  177T. 

AT  half  past  four  this  morning  I  mounted  my  horse  and 
took  a  ride  in  a  road  that  was  new  to  me.  I  went  to 
Kensington  and  then  to  "  Point-no-point  "  by  land,  the 
place  where  I  went  once  before  with  a  large  company  in 
the  row-galleys  by  water.  That  frolic  was  almost  two 
years  ago.  I  gave  you  a  relation  of  it  in  the  time,  I  sup 
pose.  The  road  to  Point-no-point  lies  along  the  river 
Delaware,  in  fair  sight  of  it  and  its  opposite  shore.  For 
near  four  miles  the  road  is  as  straight  as  the  streets  of 


278  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

Philadelphia.  On  each  side  are  beautiful  rows  of  trees, 
buttonwoods,  oaks,  walnuts,  cherries,  and  willows,  espe 
cially  down  towards  the  banks  of  the  river.  The  meadows, 
pastures,  and  grass-plats  are  as  green  as  leeks.  There 
are  many  fruit  trees  and  fine  orchards  set  with  the  nicest 
regularity.  But  the  fields  of  grain,  the  rye  and  wheat,  ex 
ceed  all  description.  These  fields  are  all  sown  in  ridges, 
and  the  furrow  between  each  couple  of  ridges  is  as  plainly 
to  be  seen  as  if  a  swath  had  been  mown  along.  Yet  it  is 
no  wider  than  a  plough -share,  and  it  is  as  straight  as  an 
arrow.  It  looks  as  if  the  sower  had  gone  along  the  fur 
row  with  his  spectacles,  to  pick  up  every  grain  that  should 
accidentally  fall  into  it.  The  corn  is  just  coming  out  of 
the  ground.  The  furrows  struck  out  for  the  hills  to  be 
planted  in  are  each  way  as  straight  as  mathematical  right 
lines  ;  and  the  squares  between  every  four  hills  as  exact  as 
they  could  be  done  by  plumb  and  line,  or  scale  and  com- 


I  am  ashamed  of  our  farmers.  They  are  a  lazy,  ignorant 
set ;  in  husbandry,  I  mean  ;  for  they  know  infinitely  more 
of  everything  else  than  these.  But  after  all,  the  native 
face  of  our  country,  diversified  as  it  is  with  hill  and  dale,  sea 
and  land,  is  to  me  more  agreeable  than  this  enchanting 
artificial  scene. 

27  May. 

The  post  brought  me  yours  of  May  6th  and  9th.  You 
express  apprehensions  that  we  may  be  driven  from  this  city. 
We  have  no  such  apprehensions  here.  Howe  is  unable  to  do 
anything  but  by  stealth.  Washington  is  strong  enough  to 
keep  Howe  where  he  is. 

How  could  it  happen  that  you  should  have  £5  counter 
feit  New  Hampshire  money  ?  Can't  you  recollect  who  you 
had  it  of  ?  Let  me  entreat  you  not  to  take  a  shilling  of 
any  but  Continental  money  or  Massachusetts,  and  be  very 
careful  of  that.  There  is  a  counterfeit  Continental  bill 
abroad,  sent  out  of  New  York,  but  it  will  deceive  none 
but  fools,  for  it  is  copper-plate,  easily  detected,  miserably 
done. 


1777-1  JOHN  ADAMS.  279 

1 86.  JOHN   ADAMS. 

^^^^^^Tliiladelphia,  Monday,  2  June,  1777. 

ARTILLERY  Election!  I  wish  I  was  at  it  or  near  it. 
Yours  of  the  18th  reached  me  this  morning.  The  cause 
that  letters  are  so  long  in  travelling  is  that  there  is  but  one 
post  in  a  week,  who  goes  from  hence  to  Peekskill,  although 
there  are  two  that  go  from  thence  to  Boston.  Riding 
every  day  has  made  me  better  than  I  was,  although  I  am 
not  yet  quite  well.  I  am  determined  to  continue  this 
practice,  which  is  very  necessary  for  me. 

I  rejoice  to  find  that  the  town  have  had  the  wisdom  to 
send  but  one  Representative.  The  House  last  year  was 
too  numerous  and  unwieldy.  The  expense  was  too  great. 
I  suppose  you  will  have  a  Constitution  formed  this  year. 
Who  will  be  the  Moses,  the  Lycurgus,  the  Solon  ?  or  have 
you  a  score  or  two  of  such  ?  Whoever  they  may  be,  and 
whatever  form  may  be  adopted,  I  am  persuaded  there  is 
among  the  mass  of  our  people  a  fund  of  wisdom,  integrity, 
and  humanity  which  will  preserve  their  happiness  in  a 
tolerable  measure. 

If  the  enemy  comes  to  Boston  again,  fly  with  your  little 
ones,  all  of  them,  to  Philadelphia.  But  they  will  scarcely 
get  to  Boston  this  campaign.  I  admire  your  sentiments 
concerning  revenge.  Revenge  in  ancient  days  (you  will 
see  it  through  the  whole  Roman  history)  was  esteemed  a 
generous  and  an  heroic  passion.  Nothing  was  too  good  for 
a  friend,  or  too  bad  for  an  enemy.  Hatred  and  malice 
without  limits  against  an  enemy  were  indulged,  were  justified, 
and  no  cruelty  was  thought  unwarrantable.  Our  Saviour 
taught  the  immorality  of  revenge,  and  the  moral  duty  of 
forgiving  injuries,  and  even  the  duty  of  loving  enemies. 
Nothing  can  show  the  amiable,  the  moral,  the  divine  ex 
cellency  of  these  Christain  doctrines  in  a  stronger  point 
of  light  than  the  characters  and  conduct  of  Marius  and 
Sylla,  Caesar,  Pompey,  Antony,  and  Augustus,  among  in 
numerable  others.  Retaliation  we  must  practice  in  some 
instances,  in  order  to  make  our  barbarous  foes  respect,  in 
some  degree,  the  rights  of  humanity.  But  this  will  never 
be  done  without  the  most  palpable  necessity.  The  appre- 


280  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

hension  of  retaliation  alone  will  restrain  them  from  cruel 
ties  which  would  disgrace  savages.  To  omit  it  then  would 
be  cruelty  to  ourselves,  our  officers  and  men. 

We  are  amused  here  with  reports  of  troops  removing 
from  Rhode  Island,  New  York,  Staten  Island,  etc.  ;  wag 
ons,  boats,  bridges,  etc.,  prepared  ;  two  old  Indiamen  cut 
down  into  floating  batteries,  mounting  thirty-two  guns, 
sent  round  into  Delaware  river,  etc.,  etc. ;  but  I  heed  it  no 
more  than  the  whistling  of  the  zephyrs.  In  short,  I  had 
rather  they  should  come  to  Philadelphia  than  not.  It 
would  purify  this  city  of  its  dross.  Either  the  furnace  of 
affliction  would  refine  it  of  its  impurities,  or  it  would  be 
purged  yet  so  as  by  fire.  This  town  has  been  a  dead 
weight  upon  us.  It  would  be  a  dead  weight  upon  the 
«nemy.  The  mules  here  would  plague  them  more  than  all 
their  money. 


187.   JOHN 

Philadelphia,  4  June,  1777. 

I  WISH  I  could  know  whether  your  season  is  cold  or 
•warm,  wet  or  dry,  fruitful  or  barren  ;  whether  you  had  late 
frosts,  whether  those  frosts  have  hurt  the  fruit,  the  flax, 
the  corn  or  vines,  etc.  We  have  a  fine  season  here  and  a 
bright  prospect  of  abundance. 

You  will  see,  by  the  inclosed  papers  in  a  letter  from  my 
friend  Parsons,  a  very  handsome  narration  of  one  of  the 
prettiest  exploits  of  this  war,  a  fine  retaliation  of  the  Dan- 
bury  mischief.  Meigs,  who  was  before  esteemed  a  good 
officer,  has  accquired  by  this  expedition  a  splendid  reputa 
tion.  You  will  see  by  the  same  papers,  too,  that  the 
writers  here  in  opposition  to  the  Constitution  of  Pennsylva 
nia  are  making  factious  use  of  my  name  and  lucubrations  ; 
much  against  my  will,  I  assure  yon,  for  although  I  am  no 
admirer  of  the  form  of  this  government,  yet  I  think  it  is 
agreeable  to  the  body  of  the  people,  and  if  they  please  them 
selves  they  will  please  me.  And  I  would  not  choose  to 
be  impressed  into  the  service  of  one  party  or  the  other,  and 
I  am  determined  I  will  not  enlist.  Besides,  it  is  not  very 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  281 

genteel  in  these  writers  to  put  my  name  to  a  letter  1  from 
which  I  cautiously  withheld  it  myself.      However,  let  them 
take  their  own  way ;  I  shall  riot  trouble  myself  about  it. 
I  am  growing  better  by  exercise  and  air. 

Philadelphia,  8  July,  1777. 

YOURS  of  23d  June  I  have  received.  I  believe  there 
is  no  danger  of  an  invasion  your  way,  but  the  designs  of 
the  enemy  are  uncertain,  and  their  motions  a  little  myste- 
ripus.  Before  this  letter  is  sealed,  which  will  not  be  till 
Sunday  next,  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  inform  you  better. 

I  rejoice  at  your  fine  season  and  at  my  brother  Cranch's 
attention  to  husbandry.  I  am  very  glad  he  bought  the 
farm  and  that  he  likes  it  so  well.  I  pant  for  domestic 
life  and  rural  felicity  like  his.  I  am  better  than  I  have 
been.  But  I  dread  the  heats  which  are  coming  on.  This 
day  completes  six  months  since  I  left  you.  I  am  wasted 
and  exhausted  in  mind  and  body,  with  incessant  application 
to  business,  but,  if  I  can  possibly  endure  it,  will  hold  out 
the  year.  It  is  nonsense  to  dance  backwards  and  forwards. 
After  this  year,  I  shall  take  my  leave. 

Our  affairs  are  in  a  fine,  prosperous  train,  and  if  they 
continue  so,  I  can  leave  this  station  with  honor.  Next 
month  completes  three  years  that  I  have  been  devoted  to 
the  service  of  liberty.  A  slavery  it  has  been  to  me,  what 
ever  the  world  may  think  of  it.  To  a  man  whose  attach 
ments  to  his  family  are  as  strong  as  mine,  absence  alone 
from  such  a  wife  and  such  children  would  be  a  great  sacri 
fice.  But  in  addition  to  this  separation  what  have  I  not 
done  ?  What  have  I  not  suffered  ?  What  have  I  not 
hazarded  ?  These  are  questions  that  I  may  ask  you,  but  I 
will  ask  such  questions  of  none  else.  Let  the  cymbals  of 
popularity  tinkle  still.  Let  the  butterflies  of  fame  glitter 
with  their  wings.  I  shall  envy  neither  their  music  nor 
their  colors.  The  loss  of  property  affects  me  little.  All 
other  hard  things  I  despise,  but  the  loss  of  your  company 

1  This  was  addressed  to  George  Wythe  and  printed  under  the  title  Thoughts 
on  Government.  Works  of  John  Adams,  Vol.  I.,  p.  208. 


282  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

and  that  of  my  dear  babes,  for  so  long  a  time,  I  consider  as 
a  loss  of  so  much  solid  happiness.  The  tender  social  feel 
ings  of  my  heart,  which  have  distressed  me  beyond  all  utter 
ance  in  my  most  busy,  active  scenes,  as  well  as  in  the 
numerous  hours  of  melancholy  solitude,  are  known  only  to 
God  and  my  own  soul. 

How  often  have  I  seen  my  dearest  friend  a  widow,  and 
her  charming  prattlers  orphans  exposed  to  all  the  insolence 
of  unfeeling,  impious  tyrants  !  Yet  I  can  appeal  to  my 
final  Judge,  the  horrid  vision  has  never  for  one  moment 
shaken  the  resolution  of  my  heart. 

189.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  11  July,  1717. 

THIS  letter  will  go  by  the  hand  of  the  Honorable  Jo 
seph  Hewes,  Esquire,  one  of  the  delegates  in  Congress 
from  North  Carolina  from  the  month  of  September,  1774, 
until  1777.  I  had  the  honor  to  serve  with  him  upon  the 
naval  committee  who  laid  the  first  foundations,  the  corner 
stone,  of  an  American  navy,  by  fitting  to  sea  the  Alfred, 
Columbus,  Cabot,  Andrew  Doria,  Providence,  and  several 
others  ;  an  honor  that  I  make  it  a  rule  to  boast  of  upon 
all  occasions  and  I  hope  my  posterity  will  have  reason  to 
boast.  Hewes  has  a  sharp  eye  and  keen,  penetrating 
sense,  but,  what  is  of  much  more  value,  is  a  man  of  honor 
and  integrity.  If  he  should  call  upon  you,  and  you  should 
be  about,  I  hope  you  will  treat  him  with  all  the  complai 
sance  that  is  due  to  his  character.  I  almost  envy  him  his 
journey,  although  he  travels  for  his  health,  which  at  pres 
ent  is  infirm. 

I  am,  yours,  yours,  yours,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  We  have  had  no  news  from 
camp  for  three  or  four  days.  Mr.  Howe,  by  the  last  advices, 
was  maneuvering  his  fleet  and  army  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  give  us  expectations  of  an  expedition  somewhere  ;  but 
whether  to  Rhode  Island,  Halifax,  up  the  North  River,  or 
the  Delaware,  is  left  to  conjecture.  I  am  much  in  doubt 
whether  he  knows  his  own  intentions.  A  faculty  of  pene- 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  283 

trating  into  the  designs  of  an  enemy  is  said  to  be  the  first 
quality  of  a  General,  but  it  is  impossible  to  discover  the  de 
signs  of  an  enemy  who  has  no  design  at  all.  An  inten 
tion  that  has  no  existence,  a  plan  that  is  not  laid,  cannot 
be  divined.  Be  his  intentions  what  they  may,  you  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  him.  He  has  not  force  to  penetrate 
the  country  anywhere. 

190.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  13  July,  1777. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  We  have  a  confused  account 
from  the  northward  of  something  unlucky  at  Ticonderoga, 
but  cannot  certainly  tell  what  it  is.  I  am  much  afraid  we 
shall  lose  that  post,  as  we  did  Forts  Washington  and  Lee  ; 
and  indeed,  I  believe  we  shall  if  the  enemy  surround  it. 
But  it  will  prove  no  benefit  to  him.  I  begin  to  wish 
there  was  not  a  fort  upon  the  continent.  Discipline  and 
disposition  are  our  resources.  It  is  our  policy  to  draw  the 
enemy  into  the  country,  where  we  can  avail  ourselves  of  hills, 
woods,  rivers,  defiles,  etc.,  until  our  soldiers  are  more  in 
ured  to  war.  Howe  and  Burgoyne  will  not  be  able  to 
meet  this  year,  and  if  they  were  met,  it  would  only  be  bet 
ter  for  us,  for  we  should  draw  all  our  forces  to  a  point  too. 
If  they  were  met,  they  could  not  cut  off  the  communi 
cation  between  the  northern  and  southern  States.  But  if 
the  communication  was  cut  off  for  a  time,  it  would  be  no 
misfortune,  for  New  England  would  defend  itself,  and  the 
southern  States  would  defend  themselves. 

Colonel  Miles  is  come  out  of  New  York  on  his  parole. 
His  account  is,  as  I  am  informed,  that  Mr.  Howe's  projects 
are  all  deranged.  His  army  has  gone  round  the  circle,  and 
is  now  encamped  in  the  very  spot  where  he  was  a  year  ago. 
The  spirits  of  the  Tories  are  sunk  to  a  great  degree,  and 
those  of  the  army  too.  The  Tories  have  been  elated  with 
prospects  of  coming  to  this  city  and  triumphing,  but  are 
miserably  disappointed.  The  Hessians  are  disgusted,  and 
their  General  De  Heister  gone  home  in  a  miff. 


284  FAMILIAR  LETTERS  [July, 

/     191.  JOHN  ADAMS  TO  JOHN  Q.  ADAMS.1 

Philadelphia,  27  July,  1777. 

IF  it  should  be  the  design  of  Providence  that  you  should 
live  to  grow  up,  you  will  naturally  feel  a  curiosity  to  learn 
the  history  of  the  causes  which  have  produced  the  late 
Revolution  of  our  Government.  No  study  in  which  you 
can  engage  will  be  more  worthy  of  you. 

It  will  become  you  to  make  yourself  master  of  all  the 
considerable  characters  which  have  figured  upon  the  stage 
of  civil,  political,  or  military  life.  This  you  ought  to  do 
with  utmost  candor,  benevolence,  and  impartiality  ;  and  if 
you  should  now  and  then  meet  with  an  incident  which  shall 
throw  some  light  upon  your  father's  character,  I  charge 
you  to  consider  it  with  an  attention  only  to  truth. 

It  will  also  be  an  entertaining  and  instructive  amuse 
ment  to  compare  our  American  Revolution  with  others  that 
resemble  it.  The  whole  period  of  English  history,  from 
the  accession  of  James  the  First  to  the  accession  of  Will 
iam  the  Third  will  deserve  your  most  critical  attention. 

The  History  of  the  Revolutions  in  Portugal,  Sweden, 
and  Rome,  by  the  Abbot  de  Vertot,  is  well  worth  your 
reading. 

The  separation  of  the  Helvetic  Confederacy  from  the  do 
minion  of  the  House  of  Austria  is  also  an  illustrious  event, 
that  particularly  resembles  our  American  struggle  with 
Great  Britain. 

But  above  all  others  I  would  recommend  to  your  study 
the  history  of  the  Flemish  Confederacy,  by  which  the  seven. 
United  Provinces  of  the  Netherlands  emancipated  them 
selves  from  the  domination  of  Spain. 

There  are  several  good  histories  of  this  great  revolu 
tion.  Sir  William  Temple's  is  short  but  elegant  and  enter 
taining.  Another  account  of  this  period  was  written  by 
Puffendorf,  and  another  by  Grotius. 

But  the  most  full  and  complete  history  that  I  have  seen 

is  one  that  I  am  now  engaged  in  reading.     It  is  entitled 

"The  History  of  the  Wars  of  Flanders,"  written  in  Italian 

by  that  learned  and    famous    Cardinal    Bentivoglio,  Eng- 

1  At  this  time  just  ten  years  old. 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  285 

lished  by  the  Right  Honorable  Henry,  Earl  of  Morimouth. 
The  whole  work  illustrated  with  a  map  of  the  seventeen 
Provinces  and  above  twenty  figures  of  the  chief  personages 
mentioned  in  the  history. 

Bentivoglio,  like  Clarendon,  was  a  courtier,  and  on  the 
side  of  monarchy  and  the  hierarchy.  But  allowances  must 
be  made  for  that. 

There  are  three  most  memorable  sieges  described  in  this 
history,  those  of  Haerlem,  Leyden,  and  Antwerp. 

You  will  wonder,  my  dear  son,  at  my  writing  to  you  at 
your  tender  age  such  dry  things  as  these ;  but  if  you  keep 
this  letter,  you  will  in  some  future  period  thank  your  fa 
ther  for  writing  it. 

192.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

30  July,  1777. 

I  DARE  say,  before  this  time  you  have  interpreted  the 
Northern  Storm.  If  the  presages  chilled  your  blood,  how 
must  you  be  frozen  and  stiffened  at  the  disgrace  brought 
upon  our  arms  !  unless  some  warmer  passion  seize  you,  and 
anger  and  resentment  fire  your  breast.  How  are  all  our 
vast  magazines  of  cannon,  powder,  arms,  clothing,  provi 
sion,  medicine,  etc.,  to  be  restored  to  us  ? l  But,  what  is 
vastly  more,  how  shall  the  disgrace  be  wiped  away  ?  How 
shall  our  lost  honor  be  retrieved  ?  The  reports  with  regard 
to  that  fortress  are  very  vague  and  uncertain.  Some 
write  from  thence  that  there  was  not  force  sufficient  to  de 
fend  it.  Others  say  it  might  have  stood  a  long  siege. 
Some  there  are  who  ought  to  know  why  and  wherefore 
we  have  given  away  a  place  of  such  importance. 

That  the  inquiry  will  be  made,  I  make  no  doubt ;  and 
if  cowardice,  guilt,  deceit,  are  found  upon  any  one,  howso 
ever  high  or  exalted  his  station,  may  shame,  reproach,  in 
famy,  hatred,  and  the  execrations  of  the  public  be  his 
portion. 

I  would  not  be  so  narrow-minded  as  to  suppose  that 
there  are  not  many  men  of  all  nations,  possessed  of  honor, 
virtue,  and  integrity ;  yet  it  is  to  be  lamented  that  we 
l  The  loss  of  Ticonderoga. 


286  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

have  not  men  among  ourselves  sufficiently  qualified  for  war 
to  take  upon  them  the  most  important  command. 

It  was  customary  among  the  Carthaginians  to  have  a  mil 
itary  school,  in  which  the  flower  of  their  nobility,  and  those 
whose  talents  and  ambition  prompted  them  to  aspire  to  the 
first  dignities,  learned  the  art  of  war.  From  among  these 
they  selected  all  their  general  officers  ;  for,  though  they 
employed  mercenary  soldiers,  they  were  too  jealous  and 
suspicious  to  employ  foreign  generals.  Will  a  foreigner, 
whose  interest  is  not  naturally  connected  with  ours  (any 
otherwise  than  as  the  cause  of  liberty  is  the  cause  of  all  man 
kind),  will  he  act  with  the  same  zeal,  or  expose  himself  to 
equal  dangers  with  the  same  resolution,  for  a  republic  of 
which  he  is  not  a  member,  as  he  would  have  done  for  his 
own  native  country  ?  And  can  the  people  repose  an  equal 
confidence  in  them,  even  supposing  them  men  of  integrity 
and  abilities,  and  that  they  meet  with  success  equal  to  their 
abilities  ?  How  much  envy  and  malice  are  employed 
against  them  !  And  how  galling  to  pride,  how  mortifying 
to  human  nature,  to  see  itself  excelled. 

31  July. 

I  have  nothing  new  to  entertain  you  with,  unless  it  be 
an  account  of  a  new  set  of  mobility,  which  has  lately  taken 
the  lead  in  Boston.  You  must  know  that  there  is  a  great 
scarcity  of  sugar  and  coffee,  articles  which  the  female  part 
of  the  State  is  very  loath  to  give  up,  especially  whilst  they 
consider  the  scarcity  occasioned  by  the  merchants  having 
secreted  a  large  quantity.  There  had  been  much  rout  and 
noise  in  the  town  for  several  weeks.  Some  stores  had  been 
opened  by  a  number  of  people,  and  the  coffee  and  sugar 
carried  into  the  market  and  dealt  out  by  pounds.  It  was 
rumored  that  an  eminent,  wealthy,  stingy  merchant l  (who 
is  a  bachelor)  had  a  hogshead  of  coffee  in  his  store,  which 
he  refused  to  sell  to  the  committee  under  six  shillings  per 
pound.  A  number  of  females,  some  say  a  hundred,  some 
say  more,  assembled  with  a  cart  and  trucks,  marched  down 
to  the  warehouse,  and  demanded  the  keys,  which  he  refused 
to  deliver.  Upon  which  one  of  them  seized  him  by  his 

1  Thomas  Boylston. 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  287 

neck,  and  tossed  him  into  the  cart.  Upon  his  finding  no 
quarter,  he  delivered  the  keys,  when  they  tipped  up  the  cart 
and  discharged  him  ;  then  opened  the  warehouse,  hoisted  out 
the  coffee  themselves,  put  it  into  the  trucks,  and  drove  off. 

It  was  reported  that  he  had  personal  chastisement  among 
them  ;  but  this,  I  believe,  was  not  true.  A  large  concourse 
of  men  stood  amazed,  silent  spectators  of  the  whole  trans 
action. 

Adieu.  Your  good  mother  is  just  come ;  she  desires  to 
be  remembered  to  you ;  so  do  my  father  and  sister,  who 
have  just  left  me,  and  so  does  she  whose  greatest  happiness 
consists  in  being  tenderly  beloved  by  her  absent  friend,  and 
who  subscribes  herself  ever  his  PORTIA. 

193.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

5  August,  1777. 

IF  alarming  half  a  dozen  places  at  the  same  time  is  an  act 
of  generalship,  Howe  may  boast  of  his  late  conduct.  We 
have  never,  since  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  been  under 
apprehensions  of  an  invasion  equal  to  what  we  suffered 
last  week.  All  Boston  was  in  confusion  packing  up  and 
carting  out  of  town  household  furniture,  military  stores, 
goods,  etc.  Not  less  than  a  thousand  teams  were  employed 
on  Friday  and  Saturday ;  and,  to  their  shame  be  it  told,  not 
a  small  trunk  would  they  carry  under  eight  dollars,  and 
many  of  them,  I  am  told,  asked  a  hundred  dollars  a  load  ; 
for  carting  a  hogshead  of  molasses  eight  miles,  thirty  dol 
lars.  O  human  nature  !  or  rather,  O  inhuman  nature !  what 
art  thou  ?  The  report  of  the  fleet's  being  seen  off  Cape 
Ann  Friday  night  gave  me  the  alarm,  and,  though  pretty 
weak,  I  set  about  packing  up  my  things,  and  on  Saturday 
removed  a  load. 

When  I  looked  around  me  and  beheld  the  bounties  of 
Heaven  so  liberally  bestowed,  in  fine  fields  of  corn,  grass, 
flax,  and  English  grain,  and  thought  it  might  soon  become 
a  prey  to  these  merciless  ravagers,  our  habitations  laid  waste, 
and  if  our  flight  preserved  our  lives,  we  must  return  to 
barren  fields,  empty  barns,  and  desolate  habitations,  if  any 
we  find  (perhaps  not  where  to  lay  our  heads),  my  heart 


288  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

was  too  full  to  bear  the  weight  of  affliction  which  I  thought 
just  ready  to  overtake  us,  and  my  body  too  weak  almost  to 
bear  the  shock,  unsupported  by  my  better  half. 

But,  thanks  be  to  Heaven,  we  are  at  present  relieved  from 
our  fears  respecting  ourselves.  I  now  feel  anxious  for  your 
safety,  but  hope  prudence  will  direct  to  a  proper  care  and 
attention  to  yourselves.  May  this  second  attempt  of  Howe's 
prove  his  utter  ruin.  May  destruction  overtake  him  as  a 
whirlwind. 

We  have  a  report  of  an  engagement  at  the  northward,  in 
which  our  troops  behaved  well,  drove  the  enemy  into  their 
lines,  killed  and  took  three  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners. 
The  account  came  in  last  night.  I  have  not  particulars. 
We  are  under  apprehensions  that  the  Hancock  is  taken. 

Your  obliging  letters  of  the  8th,  10th,  and  13th  came  to 
hand  last  week.  I  hope  before  this  time  you  are  relieved 
from  the  anxiety  you  express  for  your  bosom  friend.  I 
feel  my  sufferings  amply  rewarded,  in  the  tenderness  you 
express  for  me.  But  in  one  of  your  letters  you  have 
drawn  a  picture  which  drew  a  flood  of  tears  from  my  eyes, 
and  wrung  my  heart  with  anguish  inexpressible.  I  pray 
Heaven  I  may  not  live  to  realize  it. 

It  is  almost  thirteen  years  since  we  were  united,  but  not 
more  than  half  that  time  have  we  had  the  happiness  of  liv 
ing  together.  The  unfeeling  world  may  consider  it  in  what 
light  they  please.  I  consider  it  as  a  sacrifice  to  my  coun 
try,  and  one  of  my  greatest  misfortunes,  for  you  to  be 
separated  from  my  children,  at  a  time  of  life  when  the 
joint  instructions  and  admonition  of  parents  sink  deeper 
than  in  maturer  years. 

The  hope  of  the  smiles  and  approbation  of  my  friend 
sweetens  all  my  toils  and  labors. 

*'Ye  Powers,  whom  men  and  birds  obey, 
Great  rulers  of  your  creatures,  say 
Why  mourning  conies,  by  bliss  conveyed, 
And  even  the  sweets  of  love  allayed. 
Where  grows  enjoyment  tall  and  fair, 
Around  it  twines  entangling  care  ; 
While  fear  for  what  our  sons  possess 
Enervates  every  power  to  bless. 
Yet  friendship  forms  the  bliss  above, 
And,  life!  what  art  thou  without  love!" 


1777.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  289 

194.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  11  August,  1777. 

YOUR  kind  favor  of  July  30th  and  31st  was  handed  me 
just  now  from  the  post-office.  I  have  regularly  received  a 
letter  from  you  every  week,  excepting  one,  for  a  long  time 
past,  and  as  regularly  send  a  line  to  you,  inclosing  papers. 
My  letters  are  scarcely  worth  sending.  Indeed,  I  don't 
choose  to  indulge  much  speculation,  lest  a  letter  should  mis 
carry,  and  free  sentiments  upon  public  affairs  intercepted 
from  me  might  do  much  hurt. 

Where  the  scourge  of  God  and  the  plague  of  mankind 
is  gone,  no  one  can  guess.  An  express  from  Sinnepuxent, 
a  place  between  the  Capes  of  Delaware  and  the  Capes  of 
Chesapeake,  informs  that  a  fleet  of  one  hundred  sail  was- 
seen  off  that  place  last  Thursday.  But  whether  this  is 
fishermen's  news,  like  that  from  Cape  Ann,  I  know  not.. 
The  time  spends  and  the  campaign  wears  away,  and  Howe 
makes  no  great  figure  yet.  How  many  men  and  horses- 
will  he  cripple  by  this  strange  coasting  voyage  of  five 
weeks  ? 

We  have  given  New  England  men  what  they  will  think, 
a  complete  triumph  in  the  removal  of  Generals  from  the. 
northward  and  sending  Gates  there.  I  hope  every  part  of 
New  England  will  now  exert  itself  to  its  utmost  efforts. 
Never  was  a  more  glorious  opportunity  than  Burgoyne  has. 
given  us  of  destroying  him  by  marching  down  so  far  to 
wards  Albany.  Let  New  England  turn  out  and  cut  off  his 
retreat.  Pray,  continue  to  write  me  every  week.  You 
have  made  me  merry  with  the  female  frolic  with  the  miser. 
But  I  hope  the  females  will  leave  off  their  attachment  to 
coffee.  I  assure  you  the  best  families  in  this  place  have 
left  off,  in  a  great  measure,  the  use  of  West  India  goods. 
We  must  bring  ourselves  to  live  upon  the  produce  of  our 
own  country.  What  would  I  give  for  some  of  your  cider  ? 
Milk  has  become  the  breakfast  of  many  of  the  wealthiest 
and  genteelest  families  here. 

Fenno  put  me  into  a  kind  of  frenzy  to  go  home,  by  the 
description  he  gave  me,  last  night,  of  the  fertility  of  the 
season,  the  plenty  of  fish,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  in  Boston  and 
19 


290  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

about  it.  I  am  condemned  to  this  place,  a  miserable  exile 
from  everything  that  is  agreeable  to  me.  God  will  my 
banishment  shall  not  last  long. 


^_         ADAMS. 

Same  date. 

I  THINK  I  have  sometimes  observed  to  you  in  conver 
sation,  that  upon  examining  the  biography  of  illustrious 
men,  you  will  generally  find  some  female  about  them,  in 
the  relation  of  mother  or  wife  or  sister,  to  whose  instiga 
tion  a  great  part  of  their  merit  is  to  be  ascribed.  You 
will  find  a  curious  example  of  this  in  the  case  of  Aspasia, 
the  wife  of  Pericles.  She  was  a  woman  of  the  greatest 
beauty  and  the  first  genius.  She  taught  him,  it  is  said,  his 
refined  maxims  of  policy,  his  lofty  imperial  eloquence,  nay, 
even  composed  the  speeches  on  which  so  great  a  share  of 
his  reputation  was  founded.  The  best  men  in  Athens  fre 
quented  her  house  and  brought  their  wives  to  receive  les 
sons  from  her  of  economy  and  right  deportment.  Socrates 
himself  was  her  pupil  in  eloquence,  and  gives  her  the  honor 
of  that  funeral  oration  which  he  delivers  in  the  "  Menex- 
enus"  of  Plato.  Aristophanes,  indeed,  abuses  this  famous 
lady,  but  Socrates  does  her  honor. 

I  wish  some  of  our  great  men  had  such  wives.  By  the 
account  in  your  last  letter,  it  seems  the  women  in  Boston 
begin  to  think  themselves  able  to  serve  their  country. 
What  a  pity  it  is  that  our  Generals  in  the  northern  dis 
tricts  had  not  Aspasias  to  their  wives  ! 

I  believe  the  two  Howes  have  not  very  great  women 
for  wives.  If  they  had,  we  should  suffer  more  from  their 
exertions  than  we  do.  This  is  our  good  fortune.  A 
woman  of  good  sense  would  not  let  her  husband  spend  five 
weeks  at  sea  in  such  a  season  of  the  year.  A  smart  wife 
would  have  put  Howe  in  possession  of  Philadelphia  a  long 
time  ago. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  291 

196.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  19  August,  1777. 

Youn  obliging  favor  of  the  5th  1  came  by  yesterday's 
post,  and  I  intended  to  have  answered  it  by  this  morning's 
post,  but  was  delayed  by  many  matters,  until  he  gave  me 
the  slip. 

I  am  sorry  that  you  and  the  people  of  Boston  were  put 
to  so  much  trouble,  but  glad  to  hear  that  such  numbers  de 
termined  to  fly.  The  prices  for  carting  which  were  de 
manded  were  detestable.  I  wish  your  fatigue  and  anxiety 
may  not  have  injured  your  health.  Don't  be  anxious  for  my 
safety.  If  Howe  comes  here,  I  shall  run  away,  I  suppose, 
with  the  rest.  We  are  too  brittle  ware,  you  know,  to  stand 
the  dashing  of  balls  and  bombs.  1  wonder  upon  what  prin 
ciple  the  Roman  senators  refused  to  fly  from  the  Gauls, 
and  determined  to  sit  with  their  ivory  staves  and  hoary 
beards  in  the  porticoes  of  their  houses,  until  the  enemy 
entered  the  city  and,  although  they  confessed  they  resem 
bled  the  gods,  put  them  to  the  sword.  I  should  not  choose 
to  indulge  this  sort  of  dignity ;  but  I  confess  I  feel  my 
self  so  much  injured  by  these  barbarian  Britons  that  I 
have  a  strong  inclination  to  meet  them  in  the  field.  This 
is  not  revenge,  I  believe,  but  there  is  something  sweet  and 
delicious  in  the  contemplation  of  it.  There  is  in  our 
hearts  an  indignation  against  wrong  that  is  righteous  and 
benevolent ;  and  he  who  is  destitute  of  it  is  defective  in 
the  balance  of  his  affections  and  in  his  moral  character. 

As  long  as  there  is  conscience  in  our  breasts,  a  moral 
sense  which  distinguishes  between  right  and  wrong,  approv 
ing,  esteeming,  loving  the  former,  and  undermining  arid  de 
testing  the  other,  we  must  feel  a  pleasure  in  the  punish 
ment  of  so  eminent  a  contemner  of  all  that  is  right  and 
good  and  just,  as  Howe  is.  They  are  virtuous  and  pious 
passions  that  prompt  us  to  desire  his  destruction,  and  to 
lament  and  deplore  his  success  and  prosperity.  The  desire 
of  assisting  towards  his  disgrace  is  an  honest  wish. 

It  is  too  late  in  life,  my  constitution  is  too  much  debili 
tated  by  speculation,  and  indeed  it  is  too  late  a  period  in 
l  No.  193,  page  287. 


292  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

the  war,  for  me  to  think  of  girding  on  a  sword.  But  if  I 
had  the  last  four  years  to  run  over  again,  I  certainly 
would. 

197.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

—  Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  19  August,  1777. 

THE  weather  still  continues  cloudy  and  cool,  and  the 
wind  easterly.  Howe's  fleet  and  army  is  still  incognito. 
The  gentlemen  from  South  Carolina  begin  to  tremble  for 
Charleston.  If  Howe  is  under  a  judicial  blindness,  he  may 
be  gone  there.  But  what  will  be  the  fate  of  a  scorbutic 
army,  cooped  up  in  a  fleet  for  six,  seven,  or  eight  weeks, 
in  such  intemperate  weather  as  we  have  had  ?  What  will 
be  their  condition,  landing  on  a  burning  shore  abounding 
with  agues  and  mosquitoes,  in  the  most  unwholesome 
season  of  the  whole  year  ?  If  he  should  get  Charleston,  or 
indeed  the  whole  State,  what  progress  will  this  make 
towards  the  conquest  of  America  ?  He  will  stop  the  trade 
of  rice  and  indigo,  but  what  then?  Besides,  he  will  get 
some  ugly  knocks.  They  are  honest,  sincere,  and  brave, 
and  will  make  his  life  uncomfortable. 

I  feel  a  strong  affection  for  South  Carolina  for  several 
reasons.  1.  I  think  them  as  stanch  patriots  as  any  in 
America.  2.  I  think  them  as  brave.  3.  They  are  the 
only  people  in  America  who  have  maintained  a  post  and 
defended  a  fort.  4.  They  have  sent  us  a  new  delegate 
whom  I  greatly  admire,  Mr.  Laurens,  their  Lieutenant- 
governor,  a  gentleman  of  great  fortune,  great  abilities, 
modesty  and  integrity,  and  great  experience  too.  If  all 
the  States  would  send  us  such  men,  it  would  be  a  pleasure 
to  be  here. 

In  the  northern  department  they  begin  to  fight.  The 
family  of  Johnson,  the  black  part  of  it  as  well  as  the  white, 
are  pretty  well  thinned.  Rascals !  They  deserve  exter 
mination.  I  presume  Gates  will  be  so  supported  that  Bur- 
goyne  will  be  obliged  to  retreat.  He  will  stop  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  I  suppose,  for  they  can  maintain  posts  although  we 
cannot.  I  think  we  shall  never  defend  a  post  until  we 
shoot  a  General.  After  that  we  shall  defend  posts,  and 
this  event,  in  my  opinion,  is  not  far  off.  No  other  fort 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  293 

will  ever  be  evacuated  without  an  inquiry,  nor  any  officer 
come  off  without  a  court  martial.  We  must  trifle  no  more. 
We  have  suffered  too  many  disgraces  to  pass  unexpiated. 
Eve>ry  disgrace  must  be  wiped  off. 

We  have  been  several  days  hammering  upon  money. 
We  are  contriving  every  way  we  can  to  redress  the  evils 
we  feel  and  fear  from  too  great  a  quantity  of  paper.  Tax 
ation  as  deep  as  possible  is  the  only  radical  cure.  I  hope 
you  will  pay  every  tax  that  is  brought  you,  if  you  sell 
my  books  or  clothes  or  oxen,  or  your  cows,  to  pay  it. 

198.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

—Philadelphia,  Wednesday,  20  August,  1777. 

THIS  day  completes  three  years  since  I  stepped  into  the 
coach  at  Mr.  Cushing's  door,  in  Boston,  to  go  to  Philadel 
phia  in  quest  of  adventures.  And  adventures  I  have 
found.  I  feel  an  inclination  sometimes  to  write  the  his 
tory  of  the  last  three  years,  in  imitation  of  Thucydides. 
There  is  a  striking  resemblance  in  several  particulars  be 
tween  the  Peloponnesian  and  the  American  war.  The 
real  motive  to  the  former  was  a  jealousy  of  the  growing 
power  of  Athens  by  sea  and  land.  The  genuine  motive  to 
the  latter  was  a  similar  jealousy  of  the  growing  power  of 
America.  The  true  causes  which  incite  to  war  are  seldom 
professed  or  acknowledged. 

We  are  now  upon  a  full  sea  ;  when  we  shall  arrive  at 
a  safe  harbor,  no  mariner  has  skill  and  experience  enough 
to  foretell.  But  by  the  favor  of  Heaven  we  shall  make 
a  prosperous  voyage,  after  all  the  storms  and  shoals  are 
passed. 

5  o'clock,  Afternoon. 

It  is  now  fair  sunshine  again,  and  very  warm.  Not  a 
word  yet  from  Howe's  fleet.  The  most  general  suspicion 
now  is  that  it  is  gone  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  But 
it  is  a  wild  supposition.  It  may  be  right,  however,  for  he 
is  a  wild  General. 

We-  have  been  hammering  to-day  upon  a  mode  of  trial 
for  the  general  officers  at  Ti.  Whether  an  inquiry  will 
precede  the  court  martial,  and  whether  the  inquiry  shall 


294  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

be  made  by  a  committee  of  Congress  or  by  a  council  of 
general  officers,  is  not  determined,  but  inquiry  and  trial 
both,  I  conjecture,  there  will  be. 

If  Howe  is  gone  to  Charleston,  you  will  have  a  little 
quiet,  and  enjoy  your  corn,  and  rye,  and  flax,  and  hay,  and 
other  good  things,  until  another  summer.  But  what  shall 
we  do  for  sugar  and  wine  and  rum  ?  Why,  truly,  I  be 
lieve  we  must  leave  them  off.  Loaf  sugar  is  only  four 
dollars  a  pound  here,  and  brown  only  a  dollar  for  the 
meanest  sort,  and  ten  shillings  for  that  a  little  better. 
Everybody  here  is  leaving  off  loaf  sugar,  and  most  are 
laying  aside  brown.  As  to  rum  and  wine,  give  me  cider 
and  I  would  compound.  New  England  rum  is  but  forty 
shillings  a  gallon.  But  if  wine  was  ten  dollars  a  bottle  I 
would  have  one  glass  a  day  in  water  while  the  hot  weather 
continues,  unless  I  could  get  cider. 


ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Thursday,  21  August,  1777. 

THIS  morning  we  have  heard  again  from  the  fleet.  At 
nine  o'clock  at  night  on  the  14th  instant,  upwards  of 
a  hundred  sail  were  seen  standing  in  between  the  Capes  of 
Chesapeake  Bay.  They  had  been  seen  from  the  eastern 
shore  of  Virginia,  standing  off  and  on,  for  two  days  be 
fore.  This  method  of  coasting  along  the  shore,  and  stand 
ing  off  and  on,  is  very  curious.  First,  seen  off  Egg 
Harbor,  then  several  times  off  the  capes  of  Delaware, 
standing  in  and  out,  then  off  Sinnepuxent,  then  off  the 
eastern  shore  of  Virginia,  then  standing  in  to  Chesapeake 
Bay.  How  many  men  and  horses  will  he  lose  in  this  sea 
ramble  in  the  heat  of  dog-days  ?  Whether  he  is  going  to 
Virginia  to  steal  tobacco,  to  North  Carolina  to  pilfer  pitch 
and  tar,  or  to  South  Carolina  to  plunder  rice  and  indigo, 
who  can  tell  ?  He  will  seduce  a  few  negroes  from  their 
masters,  let  him  go  to  which  he  will.  But  is  this  conquer 
ing  America  ? 

From  the  northward  we  learn  that  Arnold  has  marched 
with  about  two  thousand  men  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Schuyler. 
Our  people  have  given  Sir  John  Johnson,  and  his  regulars, 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  295 

Tories,  and  Indians,  a  very  fine  drubbing.  The  Indians 
scarcely  ever  had  such  a  mauling.  The  devils  are  so 
frightened  that  they  are  all  run  away  to  howl  and  mourn. 
The  papers  inclosed  with  this  will  give  you  more  particular 
information.  Can  nothing  be  done  at  Rhode  Island  at 
this  critical  time  ?  Opprobrium  Novangliaa  !  What  is  be 
come  of  all  the  Massachusetts  Continental  troops  ?  Every 
regiment  and  every  man  of  them  is  at  the  northward  un 
der  Gates,  and  yet  we  are  told  they  have  not  four  thou 
sand  men  fit  for  duty,  officers  included.  And  there  are 
three  regiments  there  from  New  Hampshire,  too. 

10  o'clock  at  night. 

Just  come  in  from  Congress.  We  have  within  this  hour 
received  letters  of  General  Schuyler  and  Lincoln,  giving 
an  account  of  the  battle  of  Bennington,  wherein  General 
Stark  has  acquired  great  glory,  and  so  have  his  militia. 
The  particulars  are  to  be  out  in  a  hand-bill  to-morrow 
morning.  I  will  inclose  you  one. 

200.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  23  August,  1777. 

IT  is  now  no  longer  a  secret  where  Mr.  Howe's  fleet  is. 
W^e  have  authentic  intelligence  that  it  is  arrived  at  the 
head  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  above  the  river  Patapsco,  upon 
which  the  town  of  Baltimore  stands.  I  wish  I  could 
describe  to  you  the  geography  of  this  country,  so  as  to 
give  you  an  adequate  idea  of  the  situation  of  the  two 
great  bays  of  Chesapeake  and  Delaware,  because  it  would 
enable  you  to  form  a  conjecture  concerning  the  object  he 
aims  at.  The  distance  across  land  from  the  heads  of  these 
bays  is  but  small,  and  forms  an  isthmus,  below  which  is  a 
large  peninsula,  comprehending  the  counties  of  Accomac 
and  Northampton  in  Virginia,  the  counties  of  Somerset 
and  Worcester  in  Maryland,  and  the  counties  of  Kent  and 
Sussex  in  Delaware.  His  march  by  land  to  Philadelphia 
may  be  about  sixty  or  seventy  miles.  I  think  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  he  aims  at  this  place,  and  he  has  taken 
this  voyage  of  six  weeks,  long  enough  to  have  gone  to 


296  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

London,  merely  to  avoid  an  army  in  his  rear.  He  found 
he  could  not  march  this  way  from  Somerset  Court  House 
without  leaving  General  Washington  in  his  rear.  We  have 
called  out  the  militia  of  Virginia,  Maryland,  Delaware,  and 
Pennsylvania  to  oppose  him,  and  General  Washington  is 
handy  enough  to  meet  him ;  and  as  General  Washington 
saved  Philadelphia  last  winter  by  crossing  the  Delaware 
and  marching  to  Morristown  and  so  getting  in  the  rear  of 
Howe,  so,  I  conjecture,  he  will  still  find  means  to  get  in 
his  rear  between  him  and  Chesapeake  Bay.  You  may 
now  sit  under  your  own  vine  and  have  none  to  make  you 
afraid.  I  sent  off  my  man  and  horse  at  an  unlucky  time, 
but  if  we  should  be  obliged  to  remove  from  hence,  we  shall 
not  go  far. 

If  Congress  had  deliberated  and  debated  a  month,  they 
could  not  have  concerted  a  plan  for  Mr.  Howe  more  to 
our  advantage  than  that  which  he  has  adopted.  He  gives 
us  an  opportunity  of  exerting  the  strength  of  all  the 
middle  States  against  him,  while  New  York  and  New  Eng 
land  are  destroying  Burgoyne.  Now  is  the  time  !  Never 
was  so  good  an  opportunity  for  my  countrymen  to  turn 
out  and  crush  that  vaporing,  blustering  bully  to  atoms. 


N  ADAMS. 

3hilade]phia,  Saturday,  23  August,  1777,  4  o'clock. 

WE  have  an  express  to-day  from  Governor  Johnson, 
Captain  Nicholson,  and  several  other  gentlemen,  with  an 
account  that  the  fleet,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-three  sail,  have  gone  up  towards  the  head  of  Chesa 
peake  Bay.  They  lie  over  against  the  shore  between  the 
river  Sassafras  and  the  river  Elk.  We  have  also  a  letter 
from  General  Washington,  acquainting  us  that  to-morrow 
morning  at  seven  o'clock  he  shall  march  his  army  through 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  along  Front  Street,  and  then  turn 
up  Chestnut  Street  in  his  way  to  cross  over  the  bridge  at 
Schuylkill  River  ;  so  that  General  Howe  will  have  a  grand 
Continental  army  to  oppose  him,  in  very  good  season,  aided 
by  a  formidable  collection  of  militia.  I  like  this  move 
ment  of  the  General  through  the  city.  Such  a  show  of 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  297 

artillery,  wagons,  light  horse,  and  infantry,  which  takes  up 
a  line  of  nine  or  ten  miles  upon  their  march,  and  will  not 
be  less  than  five  or  six  hours  passing  through  the  town,  will 
make  a  good  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  timorous 
Whigs  for  their  confirmation  ;  upon  the  cunning  Quakers 
for  their  restraint ;  and  upon  the  rascally  Tories  for  their 
confusion. 

I  think  there  is  a  reasonable  ground  for  confidence,  with 
the  favor  of  Heaven,  that  Howe  will  not  be  able  to  reach 
this  city.  Yet  I  really  doubt  whether  it  would  not  be 
more  for  our  interest  that  he  should  come  here,  and  get 
possession  of  the  town. 

1.  Because  there  are   impurities  here  which  will  never 
be  so  soon  or  so  fully  purged  away  as  by  that  fire  of  afflic 
tion  which  Howe  enkindles  wherever  he  goes. 

2.  Because  it   would   employ  nearly  the  whole   of  his 
force  to  keep  possession  of  this  town,  and  the  rest   of  the 
continent  would  be  more  at  liberty. 

3.  We  could  counteract  him  here,  better  than  in  many 
other  places. 

4.  He  would  leave  New  England  and  New  York  at  leis 
ure  to  kill  or  catch  Burgoyne. 

In  all  events  you  may  rejoice  and  sing,  for  the  season 
is  so  far  gone  that  he  cannot  remove  to  you. 

202.  .JOHN, ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  24  August,  1777. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  We  had,  last  evening,  a  thun 
der-gust  very  sharp  and  violent,  attended  with  a  plentiful 
rain.  The  lightning  struck  in  several  places.  It  struck 
the  Quaker  almshouse  in  Walnut  Street,  between  Third 
and  Fourth  Streets,  not  far  from  Captain  Duncan's,  where  I 
lodge.  They  had  been  wise  enough  to  place  an  iron  rod 
upon  the  top  of  the  steeple,  for  a  vane  to  turn  on,  and  had 
provided  no  conductor  to  the  ground.  It  also  struck  in 
Fourth  Street,  near  Mrs.  Cheesman's.  No  person  was  hurt. 

This  morning  was  fair,  but  now  it  is  overcast  and  rains 
very  hard,  which  will  spoil  our  show  and  wet  the  army. 


298  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

12  o'clock. 

The  rain  ceased,  and  the  army  marched  through  the 
town  between  seven  and  ten  o'clock.  The  wagons  went 
another  road.  Four  regiments  of  light  horse,  Eland's,  Bay 
lor's,  Sheldon's,  and  Moylan's.  Four  grand  divisions  of  the 
army,  and  the  artillery  with  the  matrosses.  They  marched 
twelve  deep,  and  yet  took  up  above  two  hours  in  passing 
by.  General  Washington  and  the  other  general  officers 
with  their  aids  on  horseback.  The  Colonels  and  other 
field-officers  on  horseback.  We  have  now  an  army  well 
appointed  between  us  and  Mr.  Howe,  and  this  army  will  be 
immediately  joined  by  ten  thousand  militia,  so  that  I  feel 
as  secure  here  as  if  I  was  at  Braintree,  but  not  so  happy. 
My  happiness  is  nowhere  to  be  found  but  there. 

After  viewing  this  fine  spectacle  and  firm  defense,  I  went 
to  Mr.  Duffield's  meeting  to  hear  him  pray,  as  he  did  most 
fervently,  and  I  believe  he  was  most  sincerely  joined  by  all 
present,  for  its  success. 

The  army,  upon  an  accurate  inspection  of  it,  I  find  to  be 
extremely  well  armed,  pretty  well  clothed,  and  tolerably 
disciplined.  Gill  and  Town,  by  the  motto  to  their  news 
papers,  will  bring  discipline  into  vogue  in  time.  There  is 
such  a  mixture  of  the  sublime  and  the  beautiful  together 
with  the  useful  in  military  discipline,  that  I  wonder  every 
officer  we  have  is  not  charmed  with  it.  Much  remains  yet 
to  be  done.  Our  soldiers  have  not  yet  quite  the  air  of 
soldiers.  They  don't  step  exactly  in  time.  They  don't 
hold  up  their  heads  quite  erect,  nor  turn  out  their  toes  so 
exactly  as  they  ought.  They  don't  all  of  them  cock  their 
hats;  and  such  as  do,  don't  all  wear  them  the  same  way. 

A  disciplinarian  has  affixed  to  him  commonly  the  ideas 
of  cruelty,  severity,  tyranny,  etc.,  but  if  I  were  an  officer, 
I  am  convinced  I  should  be  the  most  decisive  disciplinarian 
in  the  army.  I  am  convinced  there  is  no  other  effective 
way  of  indulging  benevolence,  humanity,  and  the  tender 
social  passions  in  an  army.  There  is  no  other  way  of  pre 
serving  the  health  and  spirits  of  the  men.  There  is  no 
other  way  of  making  them  active  and  skillful  in  war ;  no 
other  way  of  guarding  an  army  against  destruction  by  sur- 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  299 

prises ;  and  no  other  method  of  giving  them  confidence  in 
one  another,  of  making  them  stand  by  one  another  in  the 
hour  of  battle.  Discipline  in  an  army  is  like  the  laws  in 
civil  society.  There  can  be  no  liberty  in  a  commonwealth 
where  the  laws  are  not  revered  and  most  sacredly  observed, 
nor  can  there  be  happiness  or  safety  in  an  army  for  a  single 
hour  where  the  discipline  is  not  observed. 

Obedience  is  the  only  thing  wanting  now  for  our  salva 
tion.  Obedience  to  the  laws  in  the  States,  and  obedience 
to  officers  in  the  army. 

12  o'clock. 

No  express  nor  accidental  news  from  Maryland  to-day, 
as  yet. 

203.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

^^ ^Philadelphia,  25  August,  1777 

YOURS  of  August  12th  and  13th  came  by  this  morning's 
post.  A  letter  from  Chesapeake  Bay,  dated  yesterday  morn 
ing,  informs  that  the  enemy  had  not  then  landed.  This 
morning.  General  Nash,  with  his  brigade  of  North  Carolina 
forces,  marched  through  the  town  with  their  band  of  music, 
their  train  of  artillery,  and  their  baggage  wagons,  their 
bread  wagons,  travelling  forges,  etc.  General  Washing 
ton's  army  encamped  last  night  at  Derby.  Sullivan's  di 
vision  is  expected  along  in  two  days.  Our  intelligence  of 
the  fleet  has  been  as  good  as  could  be  expected.  They 
have  been  six  weeks  at  sea. 

If  our  people  do  not  now  turn  out  and  destroy  Bur- 
goyne's  gang,  root  and  branch,  they  may  justly  be  reproached 
as  lost  to  honor  and  to  virtue.  He  is  completely  in  our 
power.  Gates  writes  to  Congress  that  Burgoyne  is  lessened 
twelve  hundred jpetf"Sy  the  Bennington  action. 


204.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  26  August,  1777. 

HOWE'S  army,  at  least  about  five  thousand  of  them,  be 
sides  his  light  horse,  are  landed  upon  the  banks  of  the  Elk 
River,  and  the  disposition  he  has  made  of  his  forces  indi 
cates  a  design  to  rest  and  refresh  both  men  and  horses. 


300  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

General  Washington  was  at  Wilmington  last  night,  and  his 
'army  is  there  to-day.  The  militia  are  turning  out  with 
great  alacrity  both  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  They 
are  distressed  for  want  of  arms.  Many  have  none,  others 
have  only  little  fowling-pieces.  However,  we  shall  rake 
arid  scrape  enough  to  do  Howe's  business,  by  the  favor  of 
Heaven. 

Howe  must  have  intended  that  Washington  should  have 
sent  his  army  up  to  fight  Burgoyne.  But  he  is  disap 
pointed.  The  kindness  of  Heaven  towards  us  has  in  noth 
ing  appeared  more  conspicuous  than  in  this  motion  of 
Howe.  If  the  infatuation  is  not  so  universal  as  to  seize 
Americans  as  well  as  him,  it  will  prove  the  certain  destruc 
tion  of  Burgoyne's  army.  The  New  England  troops  and 
New  York  troops  are  every  man  of  them  at  Peekskill  and 
with  Gates.  The  Massachusetts  men  are  all  with  Gates. 
General  Washington  has  none  but  southern  troops  with 
him,  and  he  has  much  the  largest  army  to  encounter. 

If  my  countrymen  do  not  now  turn  out  and  do  some 
thing,  I  shall  be  disappointed  indeed.  One  fifth  part  of 
Burgoyne's  army  has  been  totally  destroyed  by  Stark  and 
Herkimer.  The  remainder  must  be  shocked  and  terrified 
at  the  stroke.  Now  is  the  time  to  strike.  New  England 
men,  strike  home ! 

205.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Friday,  29  August,  1777. 

THE  newspapers  inclosed  will  give  you  all  the  intelli 
gence  of  any  consequence.  General  Washington,  with  a 
very  numerous  army,  is  between  Wilmington  and  the  Head 
of  Elk.  Howe  will  make  but  a  pitiful  figure.  The  militia 
of  four  States  are  turning  out  with  much  alacrity  and  cheer 
ful  spirits.  The  Continental  army  under  Washington,  Sul 
livan,  and  Nash,  besides,  is  in  my  opinion  more  numerous 
by  several  thousands  than  Howe's  whole  force.  I  am  afraid 
that  he  will  be  frightened,  and  run  on  board  his  ships,  and 
go  away  plundering  to  some  other  place.  I  almost  wish  he 
had  Philadelphia,  for  then  he  could  not  get  away.  I  really 
think  it  would  be  the  best  policy  to  retreat  before  him,  and 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  301 

let  him  into  this  snare,  where  his  army  must  be  ruined. 
However,  this  policy  will  not  be  adopted. 

In  a  letter  from  good  authority,  Mr.  Paca,  we  are  in 
formed  that  many  dead  horses  have  been  driven  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Maryland ;  horses  thrown  overboard 
from  the  fleet,  no  doubt. 

Prices  current.  Four  pounds  a  week  for  board,  besides 
finding  your  own  washing,  shaving,  candles,  liquors,  pipes, 
tobacco,  wood,  etc.  Thirty  shillings  a  week  for  a  servant. 
It  ought  to  be  thirty  shillings  for  a  gentleman  and  four 
pounds  for  the  servant,  because  he  generally  eats  twice  as 
much  and  makes  twice  as  much  trouble.  Shoes,  five  dol 
lars  a  pair.  Salt,  twenty-seven  dollars  a  bushel.  Butter, 
ten  shillings  a  pound.  Punch,  twenty  shillings  a  bowl.  All 
the  old  women  and  young  children  are  gone  down  to  the 
Jersey  shore  to  make  salt.  Salt  water  is  boiling  all  round 
the  coast,  and  I  hope  it  will  increase.  For  it  is  nothing 
but  heedlessness  and  shiftlessness  that  prevents  us  from 
making  salt  enough  for  a  supply.  But  necessity  will  bring 
us  to  it.  As  to  sugar,  molasses,  rum,  etc.,  we  must  leave 
them  off.  Whiskey  is  used  here  instead  of  rum,  and  I 
don't  see  but  it  is  just  as  good.  Of  this  the  wheat  and  rye 
countries  can  easily  distil  enough  for  the  use  of  the  coun 
try.  If  I  could  get  cider  I  would  be  content. 

The  business  of  the  country  has  been  in  so  critical  and 
dangerous  a  situation  for  the  last  twelve  months  that  it  was 
necessary  the  Massachusetts  should  have  a  full  representa 
tion,  but  the  expenses  of  living  are  grown  so  enormous  that 
I  believe  it  will  be  necessary  to  reduce  the  number  of  dele 
gates  to  three,  after  the  campaign  is  over. 

JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Saturday,  30  August,  1777. 

A  LETTER  from  General  Washington  was  received  last 
night  by  the  President,  which  I  read.  It  is  dated  the  29th, 
yesterday. 

The  enemy  are  in  possession  of  the  Head  of  Elk,  a  little 
town  at  the  head  of  the  river  Elk,  in  which  they  found  a 
quantity  of  corn  and  oats  belonging  to  the  States.  Wag- 


302  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [August, 

cms  were  so  universally  taken  up  in  conveying  away  the 
valuable  effects  of  the  inhabitants,  that  none  could  be  pro 
cured  to  transport  this  grain.  Part  of  their  army  has  ad 
vanced  to  Gray's  Hill,  about  two  miles  from  the  Head  of 
Elk,  but  whether  to  take  post  there,  or  only  to  cover  while 
they  remove  their  plunder  from  the  Head  of  Elk,  is  uncer 
tain. 

Our  army  is  at  Wilmington.  We  have  many  officers 
out  reconnoitering  the  country  and  the  enemy.  Our  scout 
ing  parties  have  taken  between  thirty  and  forty  prisoners, 
and  twelve  deserters  are  come  in  from  the  fleet  and  eight 
from  the  army.  They  say  the  men  are  generally  healthy, 
but  their  horses  have  suffered  much  from  the  voyage. 
These  prisoners  and  deserters  are  unable  to  give  any  other 
intelligence.  The  enemy  give  out  that  they  are  eighteen 
thousand  strong.  But  these  are  like  Burgoyne's  "  make 
believes  "  and  "  insinuations."  We  know  better,  and  that 
they  have  not  ten  thousand.  The  militia  from  four  States 
are  joining  General  Washington  in  large  numbers.  The 
plan  of  their  military  operations  this  campaign  is  well  cal 
culated  for  our  advantage.  I  hope  we  shall  have  heads  and 
hearts  to  improve  it. 

For  my  own  part  I  feel  a  secret  wish  that  they  might 
get  into  this  city,  because  I  think  it  more  for  our  interest 
that  they  should  be  cooped  up  here  than  that  they  should  run 
away  again  to  New  York.  But  according  to  present  ap 
pearances  they  will  not  be  able  to  get  here.  By  going  into 
the  Chesapeake  Bay  they  have  betrayed  a  dread  of  the 
fire-works  in  the  river  Delaware,  which  indeed  are  formi 
dable.  They  must  make  the  most  of  their  time,  for  they 
cannot  rationally  depend  upon  so  fine  a  season  late  in  the 
fall  and  early  in  winter  as  they  had  the  last  year.  Septem 
ber,  October,  and  November  are  all  that  remain. 

We  expect,  hourly,  advices  from  Gates  and  Arnold.  We 
have  rumors  of  an  expedition  to  Long  Island  under  Par 
sons,  and  another  to  Staten  Island  under  Sullivan,  but  no 
regular  accounts.  I  suppose  it  certain  that  such  expedi 
tions  have  been  made,  but  know  not  the  success. 


1777.'  JOHN  ADAMS.  303 

207.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Monday,  1  September,  1777. 

WE  have  now  run  through  the  summer,  and  although 
the  weather  is  still  warm,  the  fiercest  of  the  heat  is  over. 
And  although  the  extreme  intemperance  of  the  late  season 
has  weakened  and  exhausted  me  much,  yet  I  think,  upon 
the  whole,  I  have  got  through  it  as  well  as  upon  any 
former  occasion. 

A  letter  from  General  Washington,  dated  Saturday,  in 
forms  that  our  light  parties  have  brought  in  four-and-twenty 
prisoners  more.  So  that  the  prisoners  and  deserters  since 
Mr.  Howe  landed  are  near  a  hundred.  The  question  now 
is,  whether  there  will  be  a  general  engagement.  In  the 
first  place,  I  think  after  all  that  has  passed,  it  is  not  good 
policy  for  us  to  attack  them,  unless  we  can  get  a  favorable 
advantage  of  them  in  the  situation  of  the  ground,  or  an  op 
portunity  to  attack  a  detachment  of  their  army  with  supe 
rior  numbers.  It  would  be  imprudent,  perhaps,  for  us  with 
our  whole  force  to  attack  them  with  all  theirs. 

But  another  question  arises,  whether  Mr.  Howe  will  not 
be  able  to  compel  us  to  a  general  engagement.  Perhaps 
he  may  ;  but  I  make  a  question  of  it.  Washington  will 
manoeuvre  it  with  him  a  good  deal  to  avoid  it.  A  general 
engagement,  in  which  Howe  should  be  defeated,  would  be 
ruin  to  him.  If  we  should  be  defeated,  his  army  would  be 
crippled,  and  perhaps  we  might  suddenly  reinforce  our 
army,  which  he  could  not.  However,  all  that  he  could 
gain  by  a  victory  would  be  the  possession  of  this  town, 
which  would  be  the  worst  situation  he  could  be  in,  because 
it  would  employ  his  whole  force  by  sea  and  land  to  keep  it 
and  the  command  of  the  river. 

Their  principal  dependence  is  not  upon  their  arms,  I  be 
lieve,  so  much  as  upon  the  failure  of  our  revenue.  They 
think  they  have  taken  such  measures,  by  circulating  coun 
terfeit  bills,  to  depreciate  the  currency,  that  it  cannot  hold 
its  credit  longer  than  this  campaign.  But  they  are  mis 
taken. 

We,  however,  must  disappoint  them  by  renouncing  all 
luxuries,  and  by  a  severe  economy.  General  Washington 


304  FAMILIAR  LETTERS  [September, 

sets  a  fine  example.  He  lias  banished  wine  from  his  table, 
and  entertains  his  friends  with  rum  and  water.  This  is 
much  to  the  honor  of  his  wisdom,  his  policy,  and  his  patri 
otism.  And  the  example  must  be  followed  by  banishing 
sugar  and  all  imported  articles  from  our  families.  'If  ne 
cessity  should'  reduce  us  to  a  simplicity  of  dress  and  diet 
becoming  republicans,  it  would  be  a  happy  and  glorious  ne 
cessity.  Yours,  yours,  yours. 

208^0 HN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Tuesday,  %  September,  1777. 

I  HAD,  yesterday,  the  pleasure  of  yours  of ,  from 

Boston,  and  am  happy  to  find  that  you  have  been  able  to 
do  so  well  amidst  all  your  difficulties.  There  is  but  one 
course  for  us  to  take,  and  that  is  to  renounce  the  use  of  all 
foreign  commodities.  For  my  own  part,  I  never  lived  in 
my  whole  life  so  meanly  and  poorly  as  I  do  now,  and  yet 
my  constituents  will  growl  at  my  extravagance.  Happy 
should  I  be  indeed,  if  I  could  share  with  you  in  the  prod 
uce  of  your  little  farm.  Milk,  and  apples,  and  pork,  and 
beef,  and  the  fruits  of  the  garden  would  be  luxury  to  me. 

We  had  nothing  yesterday  from  the  General.  Howe's 
army  are  in  a  very  unwholesome  situation.  Their  water  is 
very  bad  and  brackish.  There  are  frequent  morning  and 
evening  fogs,  which  produce  intermittent  fevers  in  abun 
dance.  Washington  has  a  great  body  of  militia  assembled 
and  assembling,  in  addition  to  a  grand  Continental  army. 
Whether  he  will  strike  or  not,  I  can't  say.  He  is  very 
prudent,  you  know,  and  will  not  unnecessarily  hazard  his 
army.  By  my  own  inward  feelings,  I  judge,  I  should  put 
more  to  risk  if  I  were  in  his  shoes,  but  perhaps  he  is  right. 
Gansevoort  has  proved  that  it  is  possible  to  hold  a  post. 
Herkimer  has  shown  that  it  is  possible  to  fight  Indians,  and 
Stark  has  proved  that  it  is  practicable  even  to  attack  lines 
and  posts  with  militia.  I  wish  the  Continental  army  would 
prove  that  anything  can  be  done.  But  this  is  sedition  at 
least.  I  am  weary,  however,  I  own,  with  so  much  insipidity. 

St.  Leger  and  his  party  have  run  away.  So  will  Bur- 
goyne.  I  wish  Stark  had  the  supreme  command  in  the 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  305 

northern  department.  I  am  sick  of  Fabian  systems  in 
all.  quarters.  The  officers  drink,  A  long  and  moderate  war. 
My  toast  is,  A  short  and  violent  war.  They  would  call  me 
mad  and  rash,  etc.,  but  I  know  better.  I  am  as  cool  as 
any  of  them,  and  cooler  too,  for  my  mind  is  not  inflamed 
with  fear  nor  anger,  whereas  I  believe  theirs  are  with  both. 
If  this  letter  should  be  intercepted  and  published,  it  would 
do  as  much  good  as  another  did  two  years  ago. 

209.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  Monday,  8  September,  1777. 

THERE  has  been  a  very  general  apprehension  during  the 
last  week,  that  a  general  action  would  happen  as  on  yester 
day,  but  we  hear  of  none.  Our  army  is  encamped  be 
tween  Newport  and  White  Clay  Creek,  on  advantageous 
ground.  The  General  has  harangued  his  army,  and  pub 
lished  in  general  orders,  in  order  to  prepare  their  minds  for 
something  great,  and  has  held  up  the  example  of  Stark, 
Herkimer,  Gansevoort,  and  their  troops  to  animate  his  offi 
cers  and  men  with  emulation.  Whether  he  expects  to  be 
attacked,  or  whether  he  designs  to  offend,  I  can't  say. 

A  general  action  which  should  terminate  in  a  defeat  of 
Howe  would  be  complete  and  final  ruin  to  him.  If  ii 
should  terminate  only  in  a  drawn  battle,  it  would  be  the 
same  thing.  If  he  should  gain  a  victory  and  maintain  pos 
session  of  the  field,  he  would  lose  so  many  men  killed  and 
wounded  that  he  would  scarcely  have  enough  left  to  march 
to  Philadelphia,  surrounded  as  he  would  be  with  militia 
and  the  broken  remains  of  the  Continental  army.  But  if 
there  should  be  no  general  battle,  and  the  two  armies 
should  lounge  away  the  remainder  of  the  campaign  in  silent 
inactivity,  gazing  at  each  other,  Howe's  reputation  would  be 
ruined  in  his  own  country  and  in  all  Europe,  and  the  dread 
of  him  would  cease  in  all  America.  The  American  mind, 
which,  I  think,  has  more  firmness  now  than  it  ever  had 
before,  since  this  war  began,  would  acquire  a  confidence 
and  strength  that  all  the  efforts  of  Great  Britain  after 
wards  would  not  be  able,  to  relax. 

You  will  see  by  the  papers  inclosed  that  we  have  been 


306  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

obliged  to  attempt  to  humble  the  pride  of  some  Jesuits, 
who  call  themselves  Quakers,1  but  who  love  money  and 
land  better  than  liberty  and  religion.  The  hypocrites  are 
endeavoring  to  raise  the  cry  of  persecution,  and  to  give 
this  matter  a  religious  turn,  but  they  can't  succeed.  The 
world  knows  them  and  their  communications.  Actuated 
by  a  land-jobbing  spirit  like  that  of  William  Penn,  they 
have  been  soliciting  grants  of  immense  regions  of  land  on 
the  Ohio.  American  independence  has  disappointed  them, 
which  makes  them  hate  it.  Yet  the  dastards  dare  not  avow 
their  hatred  to  it,  it  seems. 

The  moments  are  critical  here.  We  know  not  but  the 
next  will  bring  us  an  account  of  a  general  engagement  be 
gun,  and  when  once  begun,  we  know  not  how  it  will  end, 
for  the  battle  is  not  always  to  the  strong.  The  events  of 
war  are  uncertain.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  pray,  as  I  do 
most  devoutly,  that  we  may  be  victorious  ;  at  least,  that 
we  may  not  be  vanquished.  But  if  it  should  be  the  will 
of  Heaven  that  our  army  should  be  defeated,  our  artil 
lery  lost,  our  best  generals  killed,  and  Philadelphia  fall 
into  Mr.  Howe's  hands,  still  America  is  not  conquered. 
America  would  yet  be  possessed  of  great  resources,  and, 
capable  of  great  exertions,  as  mankind  would  see.  It  may 
for  what  I  know,  be  the  design  of  Providence  that  this 
should  be  the  case.  Because  it  would  only  lay  the  founda 
tions  of  American  independence  deeper,  and  cement  them 
stronger.  It  would  cure  Americans  of  their  vicious  and 
luxurious  and  effeminate  appetites,  passions,  and  habits, 
a  more  dangerous  army  to  American  liberty  than  Mr. 
Howe's. 

However,  without  the  loss  of  Philadelphia  we  must  be 
brought  to  an  entire  renunciation  of  foreign  commodities, 
\t  least  of  West  India  produce.  People  are  coming  to 
this  resolution  very  fast  here.  Loaf  sugar  at  four  dollars 
a  pound,  wine  at  three  dollars  a  bottle,  etc.,  will  soon  in- 

1  General  Sullivan  in  one  of  his  excursions  had  seized  some  papers  which 
implicated  many  of  the  society  of  Friends  in  and  around  Philadelphia,  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  call  for  severe  measures  of  repression  on  the  part  of  Congress 
and  the  authorities  in  Pennsylvania. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  307 

troduce  economy  in  the  use  of  these  articles.  This  spirit 
of  economy  would  be  more  terrible  to  Great  Britain  than 
anything  else,  and  it  would  make  us  more  respectable  in 
the  eyes  of  all  Europe.  Instead  of  acrimonious  alterca 
tions  between  town  and  country,  and  between  farmer  and 
merchant,  I  wish  that  my  dear  countrymen  would  agree 
in  this  virtuous  resolution  of  depending  on  themselves 
alone.  Let  them  make  salt  and  live  without  sugar  and 
rum. 

I  am  grieved  to  hear  of  the  angry  contentions  among 
you.  That  improvident  act  for  limiting  prices  has  done 
great  injury,  and  in  my  sincere  opinion,  if  not  repealed, 
will  ruin  the  State  and  introduce  a  civil  war.  I  know  not 
how  unpopular  this  sentiment  may  be,  but  it  is  sincerely 
mine.  There  are  rascally  upstarts  in  trade,  I  doubt  not, 
who  have  made  great  fortunes  in  a  small  period,  who  are 
monopolizing  and  oppressing.  But  how  this  can  be  avoided 
entirely,  I  know  not,  but  by  disusing  their  goods  and  let 
ting  them  perish  in  their  hands. 

210.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Philadelphia,  14  September,  177T. 

You  will  learn  from  the  newspapers,  before  this  reaches 
you,  the  situation  of  things  here.  Mr.  Howe's  army  is  at 
Chester,  about  fifteen  miles  from  this  town.  General 
Washington's  is  over  the  Schuylkill,  awaiting  the  flank  of 
Mr.  Howe's  army. 

How  much  longer  Congress  will  stay  is  uncertain.  I 
hope  we  shall  not  move  until  the  last  necessity,  that  is, 
until  it  shall  be  rendered  certain  that  Mr.  Howe  will  get 
the  city.  If  we  should  move,  it  will  be  to  Reading,  Lan 
caster,  York,  Easton,  or  Bethlehem,  some  town  in  this 
State.  It  is  the  determination  not  to  leave  this  State. 
Don't  be  anxious  about  me,  nor  about  our  great  and  sacred 
cause.  It  is  the  cause  of  truth  and  will  prevail.  If  Howe 
gets  the  city,  it  will  cost  him  all  his  force  to  keep  it,  and 
so  he  can  get  nothing  else. 

My  love  to  all  friends. 


308  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  .'September, 

211.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

17  September,  1777. 

I  HAVE  to  acknowledge  a  feast  of  letters  from  you  since 
I  wrote  last ;  their  dates  from  August  19th  to  September 
1st.  It  is  a  very  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  from 
day  to  day  the  movement  of  Howe  and  his  banditti.  We 
live  in  hourly  expectation  of  important  intelligence  from 
both  armies.  Heaven  grant  us  victory  and  peace  ;  two 
blessings,  I  fear,  we  are  very  undeserving  of. 

Inclosed  you  will  find  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lovell,  who  was 
so  obliging  as  to  send  me  a  plan  of  that  part  of  the  coun 
try  which  is  like  to  be  the  present  seat  of  war.  He  ac 
companied  it  with  a  very  polite  letter,  and  I  esteem  my 
self  much  obliged  to  him  ;  but  there  is  no  reward  this  side 
the  grave  that  would  be  a  temptation  to  me  to  undergo  the 
agitation  and  distress  I  was  thrown  into  by  receiving  a 
letter  in  his  handwriting,  franked  by  him.  It  seems  almost 
impossible  that  the  human  mind  could  take  in,  in  so  small  a 
space  of  time,  so  many  ideas  as  rushed  upon  mine  in  the 
space  of  a  moment.  I  cannot  describe  to  you  what  I 
felt. 

The  sickness  or  death  of  the  dearest  of  friends,  with 
ten  thousand  horrors,  seized  my  imagination.  I  took  up 
the  letter,  then  laid  it  down,  then  gave  it  out  of  my  hand 
unable  to  open  it,  then  collected  resolution  enough  to 
unseal  it  but  dared  not  read  it ;  began  at  the  bottom,  — 
read  a  line,  —  then  attempted  to  begin  it,  but  could  not. 
A  paper  was  inclosed ;  I  ventured  upon  that,  and  finding 
it  a  plan,  recovered  enough  to  read  the  letter  ;  but  I  pray 
Heaven  I  may  never  realize  such  another  moment  of  dis 
tress. 

I  designed  to  have  written  you  a  long  letter,  for  really 
I  owe  you  one,  but  have  been  prevented  by  our  worthy 
Plymouth  friends,  who  are  here  upon  a  visit,  in  their  way 
home ;  and  it  is  now  so  late  at  night,  just  struck  twelve, 
that  I  will  defer  anything  further  till  the  next  post.  Good 
night,  friend  of  my  heart,  companion  of  my  youth,  hus 
band,  and  lover.  Angels  watch  thy  repose ! 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  309 

212.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  20  September,  1777. 

I  SIT  down  this  evening  to  write  you,  but  I  hardly  know 
what  to  think  about  your  going  to  New  York.  The  story 
has  been  told  so  many  times,  and  with  circumstances  so  par 
ticular,  that  I  with  others  have  given  some  heed  to  it, 
though  my  not  hearing  anything  of  it  from  you  leaves  me 
at  a  loss. 

Yours  of  September  4  came  to  hand  last  night.  Our 
worthy  uncle  is  a  constant  attendant  upon  the  post-office 
for  me,  and  brought  it  me.  Yours  of  September  5  came 
to-night  to  Braintree,  and  was  left  as  directed  with  the 
canister.  I  am  sorry  you  gave  yourself  so  much  trouble 
about  it.  I  got  about  half  you  sent  me  by  Mr.  Gerry. 
Am  much  obliged  to  you,  and  hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
making  the  greater  part  of  it  for  you.  Your  letter  damped 
my  spirits.  When  I  had  no  expectation  of  your  return  till 
December,  I  endeavored  to  bring  my  mind  to  acquiesce  in 
the  too  painful  situation.  I  have  reckoned  the  days  since 
Bass  went  away  a  hundred  times  over,  and  every  letter  ex 
pected  to  find  the  day  set  for  your  return. 

But  now  I  fear  it  is  far  distant.  I  have  frequently  been 
told  that  the  communication  would  be  cut  off,  and  that  you 
would  not  be  able  ever  to  return.  Sometimes  I  have  been 
told  so  by  those  who  really  wished  it  might  be  so,  with 
malicious  pleasure.  Sometimes  your  timid  folks  have  ap 
prehended  that  it  would  be  so.  I  wish  anything  would 
bring  you  nearer.  If  there  is  really  any  danger  I  should 
think  you  would  remove.  It  is  a  plan  your  enemies  would 
rejoice  to  see  accomplished,  and  will  effect  if  it  lies  in  their 
power.  I  am  not  apt  to  be  intimidated,  you  know.  I 
have  given  as  little  heed  to  that,  and  a  thousand  other  bug 
bear  reports,  as  possible.  I  have  slept  as  soundly  since  my 
return,  notwithstanding  all  the  ghosts  and  hobgoblins,  as 
ever  I  did  in  my  life.  It  is  true  I  never  close  my  eyes  at 
night  till  I  have  been  to  Philadelphia,  and  my  first  visit  in 
the  morning  is  there. 

How  unfeeling  is  the  world  !  They  tell  me  they  heard 
you  was  dead  with  as  little  sensibility  as  a  stock  or  a  stone ; 


310  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

and  I  have  now  got  to  be  provoked  at  it,  and  can  hardly 
help  snubbing  the  person  who  tells  me  so. 

The  story  of  your  being  upon  this  conference  at  New 
York  came  in  a  letter,  as  I  am  told,  from  R.  T.  P.  to  his 

brother-in-law  G fe.  Many,  very  many  have  been  the 

conjectures  of  the  multitude  upon  it.  Some  have  supposed 
the  war  concluded,  the  nation  settled.  Others  an  exchange 
of  prisoners.  Others,  a  reconciliation  with  Britain,  etc.,  etc. 

I  cannot  consent  to  your  tarrying  much  longer.  I  know 
your  health  must  greatly  suffer  from  so  constant  applica 
tion  to  business,  and  so  little  exercise.  Besides,  I  shall 
send  you  word  by  and  by,  as  Regulus's  steward  did,  that 
whilst  you  are  engaged  in  the  Senate,  your  own  domestic 
affairs  require  your  presence  at  home  ;  and  that  your  wife 
and  children  are  in  danger  of  wanting  bread.  If  the  Senate 
of  America  will  take  care  of  us,  as  the  Senate  of  Rome  did 
of  the  family  of  Regulus,  you  may  serve  them  again  ;  but 
unless  you  return,  what  little  property  you  possess  will  be 
lost 

As  to  what  is  here  under  my  more  immediate  inspection, 
I  do  the  best  I  can  with  it.  But  it  will  not,  at  the  high 
price  labor  is,  pay  its  way.  I  know  the  weight  of  public 
cares  lie  so  heavy  upon  you  that  I  have  been  loath  to  men 
tion  your  own  private  ones. 

The  best  accounts  we  can  collect  from  New  York,  assure 
us  that  our  men  fought  valiantly.  We  are  no  wise  dispir 
ited  here.  We  possess  a  spirit  that  will  not  be  conquered. 
If  our  men  are  all  drawn  off  and  we  should  be  attacked, 
you  would  find  a  race  of  Amazons  in  America.  But  I  trust 
we  shall  yet  tread  down  our  enemies. 

I  must  entreat  you  to  remember  me  often.  I  never 
think  your  letters  half  long  enough.  I  do  not  complain.  I 
have  no  reason  to.  No  one  can  boast  of  more  letters  than 
your  PORTIA. 

213.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

21  September. 

I  IMAGINE  before  this  reaches  you  some  very  important 
event  must  take  place  between  the  two  armies.  Affairs 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  311 

on  all  sides  seem  to  be  worked  up  to  a  crisis.  Howe  is 
putting  his  whole  force  in  action,  and  seems  determined  to 
drive  or  be  driven. 

I  feel  in  a  most  painful  situation  between  hope  and 
fear.  There  must  be  fighting,  and  very  bloody  battles  too, 
I  apprehend.  How  my  heart  recoils  at  the  idea.  Why 
is  man  called  humane,  when  he  delights  so  much  in  blood, 
slaughter,  and  devastation?  Even  those  who  are  styled 
civilized  nations  think  this  little  spot  worth  contending  for 
even  to  blood. 

23  September. 

We  have  confused   accounts  of  a  battle  at  the  north 
ward,1  last  Friday,  in  which  the  enemy  were  put  to  flight. 
God  grant   it  may  prove  true.      Vigorous  exertions  now 
on  all  sides  may  prove  of  the  most  happy  consequence  and 
terminate  this  cruel  war.     I  long  for  a  decisive  battle  and 
for  peace,  an  honorable  peace.     I  hope  the  enemy  are  as 
much  in  our  power  as  you  fancy  them. 

24  September. 
Have  just  read  a  handbill  giving  a  particular  account  of 

the  engagement  at  the  northward.  You  will  have  it  long 
before  this  reaches  you.  The  loss  of  Ticonderoga  has 
awakened  the  sleeping  genius  of  America,  and  called  forth 
all  her  martial  fire.  May  it  never  again  be  lulled  to  rest 
till  crowned  with  victory  and  peace.  Good  officers  will 
make  good  soldiers.  Xanthippus,  the  Macedonian  General, 
who  had  been  educated  in  the  discipline  of  Sparta  and 
had  learned  the  art  of  war  in  that  renowned  and  excellent 
school,  when  he  was  called  to  assist  the  Carthaginians, 
who  had  been  defeated  in  several  battles  against  the  Ro 
mans,  declared  publicly,  and  repeated  it  often  in  the  hear 
ing  of  their  officers,  that  the  misfortunes  of  the  Cartha 
ginians  were  owing  entirely  to  the  incapacity  of  their  Gen 
erals  ;  and  he  proved  clearly  to  the  council  that  by  a  con 
duct  opposite  to  the  former,  they  would  not  only  secure 
their  dominions,  but  drive  the  enemy  out  of  them.  Upon 
his  accepting  the  command  of  the  Carthaginians,  the 

i  The  action  between  General  Gates  and  Burgoyne  on  the  19th  of  Septem 
ber. 


312  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

gloomy  consternation  (says  Rollin)  which  had  before 
seized  the  whole  army  was  succeeded  by  joy  and  alacrity. 
The  soldiers  were  urgent  to  be  led  against  the  enemy,  in 
the  firm  assurance  of  being  victorious  under  their  new 
leader  and  of  obliterating  the  disgrace  of  former  defeats. 
Xanthippus  did  not  suffer  their  ardor  to  cool,  but  led  them 
on  to  battle,  and  entirely  routed  and  defeated  the  Romans, 
making  Regulus  their  prisoner.  That  General,  who  a  few 
days  before  was  insolent  with  victory,  inexorable  to  the 
conquered,  and  deaf  to  all  their  remonstrances,  in  a  few 
days  experienced  by  the  fate  of  war  a  sad  reverse  of  for 
tune. 

This  is  a  case,  I  think,  very  similar  to  our  own.  May 
it  prove  so  in  the  end  !  "  There  are  two  ways,"  says  Rol 
lin,  "  of  acquiring  improvement  and  instruction  :  first,  by 
one's  own  experience,  and  secondly,  by  that  of  other  men. 
It  is  much  more  wise  and  useful  to  improve  by  other  men's 
miscarriages  than  by  our  own." 

We  have  not  yet  received  any  intelligence  from  the 
southern  army  since  the  account  of  the  engagement  on  the 
llth,1  which  must  have  been  very  severe  upon  both  sides. 
You  now  experience  what  we  suffered  when  the  army  lay 
this  way.  I  feel  very  anxious  for  their  success.  The 
suspense  which  the  distance  occasions  is  painful,  but  still  I 
find  very  different  sensations  between  having  the  enemy  at 
such  a  distance  and  having  them  in  my  own  neighborhood. 
I  hope  you  will  all  look  to  your  own  safety.  As  you  are 
not  called  to  action,  kidnapping  would  be, rather  disagree 
able,  but  were  you  in  the  army  I  should  despise  myself 
for  such  a  sentiment,  — as  much  as  I  did  a  certain  gentle 
man  who  was  in  the  horrors  a  few  days  ago  upon  hear 
ing  that  General  Washington  had  retreated  to  within  six 
miles  of  Philadelphia.  If  Howe  should -get  possession  of 
that  city,  it  would  immediately  negotiate  a  peace.  I  could 
not  help  warmly  replying  that  I  did  not  believe  it,  even 
though  that  should  be  the  case,  and  the  General  with 
his  whole  army  should  be  cut  off.  I  hoped  then  that  an 
army  of  women  would  oppose  him.  Was  it  not  the  Sar- 

1  The  battle  of  Brandy  wine. 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  313 

acens  who  turned  their  backs  upon  the  enemy,  and  were 
slain  by  their  women,  who  were  placed  behind  them  for 
that  purpose  ? 

Your  favors  of  the  2d  and  8th  reached  me  upon  the 
20th.  Your  observations  with  regard  to  luxury  are  just, 
but  trade  and  commerce  will  always  support  it.  The  ne 
cessity  of  the  time  will  be  a  temporary  restraint  upon  it, 
and  put  us  upon  seeking  resources  among  ourselves.  An 
instance  of  that  may  be  seen  in  the  progress  which  is  made 
in  grinding  cornstalks  and  boiling  the  liquor  into  molasses. 
Scarcely  a  town  or  parish  within  forty  miles  of  us  but 
what  has  several  mills  at  work  ;  and  had  the  experiment 
been  made  a  month  sooner,  many  thousand  barrels  would 
have  been  made.  No  less  than  eighty  have  been  made  in 
the  small  town  of  Manchester.  It  answers  very  well  to 
distill,  and  may  be  boiled  down  to  sugar.  There  are  two 
mills  fitting  up  in  this  parish.  They  have  three  rollers, 
one  with  cogs  and  two  smooth.  The  stalks  are  stripped  of 
the  leaves  and  tops,  so  that  it  is  no  robbery  upon  the  cat 
tle,  and  the  juice  ground  out.  'T  is  said  four  barrels  of 
juice  will  make  one  of  molasses,  but  in  this,  people  differ 
widely.  They  have  a  method  of  refining  it  so  that  it  looks 
as  well  as  the  best  imported  molasses. 

Thus  you  see  we  go  from  step  to  step  in  our  improve 
ments.  We  can  live  much  better  than  we  deserve  within 
ourselves.  Why  should  we  borrow  foreign  luxuries?  Why 
should  we  wish  to  bring  ruin  upon  ourselves  ?  I  feel 
as  contented  when  I  have  breakfasted  upon  milk  as  ever 
I  did  with  Hyson  or  Souchong.  Coffee  and  sugar  I 
use  only  as  a  rarity.  There  are  none  of  these  things  but 
I  could  totally  renounce.  My  dear  friend  knows  that  I 
could  always  conform  to  times  and  circumstances.  As  yet 
I  know  nothing  of  hardships.  My  children  have  never 
cried  for  bread  nor  been  destitute  of  clothing.  Nor  have 
the  poor  and  needy  gone  empty  from  my  door,  whenever 
it  was  in  my  power  to  assist  them. 

Heaven  grant  that  I  may  continue  to  receive  its  bless 
ings.  One  of  its  greatest  is  that  I  can  subscribe  myself 
wholly  yours. 


314  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

214.  JOHN   ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  Pennsylvania,  Tuesday,  30  September,  1777. 

IT  is  now  a  long  time  since  I  had  an  opportunity  of  writ 
ing  to  you,  and  I  fear  you  have  suffered  unnecessary  anx 
iety  on  my  account.  In  the  morning  of  the  19th  instant, 
the  Congress  were  alarmed  in  their  beds  by  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Hamilton,  one  of  General  Washington's  family,  that 
the  enemy  was  in  possession  of  the  ford  over  the  Schuyl- 
kill  and  the  boats,  so  that  they  had  it  in  their  power  to  be 
in  Philadelphia  before  morning.  The  papers  of  Congress 
belonging  to  the  Secretary's  office,  the  War  office,  the 
Treasury  office,  etc.,  were  before  sent  to  Bristol.  The 
President  and  all  the  other  gentlemen  were  gone  that  road, 
so  I  followed  with  my  friend  Mr.  Marchant,  of  Rhode 
Island,  to  Trenton,  in  the  Jerseys.  We  stayed  at  Trenton 
until  the  21st,  when  we  set  off  to  Easton,  upon  the  forks  of 
Delaware.  From  Eastou  we  went  to  Bethlehem,  from 
thence  to  Reading,  from  thence  to  Lancaster,  and  from 
thence  to  this  town,  which  is  about  a  dozen  miles  over  the 
Susquehanna  River.  Here  Congress  is  to  sit.  In  order 
to  convey  the  papers  with  safety,  which  are  of  more  im 
portance  than  all  the  members,  we  were  induced  to  take 
this  circuit,  which  is  near  a  hundred  and  eighty  miles, 
whereas  this  town,  by  the  direct  road,  is  not  more  than 
eighty-eight  miles  from  Philadelphia.  This  tour  has  given 
me  an  opportunity  of  seeing  many  parts  of  this  country 
which  I  never  saw  before. 

This  morning  Major  Troup  arrived  here  with  a  large 
packet  from  General  Gates,  containing  very  agreeable  in 
telligence,  which  I  need  not  repeat,  as  you  have  much 
earlier  intelligence  from  that  part  than  we  have.  I  wish 
affairs  here  wore  as  pleasing  an  aspect.  But  alas,  they  do 
not. 

I  shall  avoid  everything  like  history,  and  make  no  re 
flections.  However,  General  Washington  is  in  a  condition 
tolerably  respectable,  and  the  militia  are  now  turning  out 
from  Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania,  in  small  num 
bers.  All  the  apology  that  can  be  made  for  this  part  of 
the  world  is  that  Mr.  Howe's  march  from  Elk  to  Philadel- 


1777.]  ABIGAIL    ADAMS.  315 

phia  was  through  the  very  regions  of  passive  obedience. 
The  whole  country  through  which  he  passed  is  inhabited 
by  Quakers.  There  is  not  such  another  body  of  Quakers 
in  all  America,  perhaps  not  in  all  the  world. 

I  am  still  of  opinion  that  Philadelphia  will  be  no  loss  to 
us.  I  am  very  comfortably  situated  here  in  the  house  of 
General  Roberdeau,  whose  hospitality  has  taken  in  Mr.  S. 
Adams,  Mr.  Gerry,  and  me.  My  health  is  as  good  as  com 
mon,  and  I  assure  you  my  spirits  not  the  worse  for  the 
loss  of  Philadelphia.  Biddle  in  the  Continental  frigate,  at 
South  Carolina,  has  made  a  noble  cruise  and  taken  four 
very  valuable  prizes. 

215.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Sunday,  6  October,  1777. 

I  KNOW  not  where  to  direct  to  you,  but  hope  you  are  se 
cure  ;  't  is  said  in  some  part  of  the  Jerseys,  but  I  know  this 
only  from  report.  I  sent  to  town  yesterday,  but  the  post 
did  not  get  in  before  the  person  whom  I  sent  came  out  of 
town.  I  could  not  rest,  but  sent  again  this  morning.  The 
post  came  but  brought  no  letters  for  me,  and  but  two  for 
any  person  that  I  could  learn,  and  no  late  intelligence. 

To  the  removal  of  the  Congress  I  attribute  my  not  hear 
ing,  but  I  never  was  more  anxious  to  hear.  I  want  to 
know  every  movement  of  the  armies.  Mr.  Niles,  by  whom 
I  send  this,  sets  off  to-morrow  and  promises  to  find  you  and 
deliver  this  into  your  hand.  I  doubt  not  you  will  let  me 
hear  from  you  by  the  first  conveyance.  Tell  me  where 
}ou  are,  how  you  are  situated,  and  how  you  do.  Whether 
your  spirits  are  good,  and  what  you  think  of  the  present 
state  of  our  arms.  Will  Mr.  Howe  get  possession  of  the 
city?  'T is  a  day  of  doubtful  expectation.  Heaven  only 
knows  our  destiny.  I  observe  often  in  the  account  of  ac 
tions  that  our  men  are  obliged  to  retreat  for  want  of  am 
munition.  Their  cartridges  are  spent.  How  is  this  ?  Is  it 
good  generalship  ?  We  never  hear  of  that  complaint  in  the 
regular  army. 

There  is  a  private  expedition,  't  is  said.  The  troops 
have  all  marched  last  Monday.  I  own  I  have  no  great 


316  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

faith  in  it.  I  wish  it  may  succeed  better  than  I  appre 
hend. 

No  news  of  any  importance  from  the  northward.  I  long 
for  spirited  exertions  everywhere.  I  want  some  grand,  im 
portant  actions  to  take  place.  We  have  both  armies  from 
their  shipping.  'T  is  what  we  have  long  sought  for.  Now 
is  the  important  day.  Heaven  seems  to  have  granted  us 
our  desire.  May  it  also  direct  us  to  improve  it  aright. 

We  are  all  well.  I  write  nothing  of  any  importance  till 
I  know  where  you  are  and  how  to  convey  to  you. 

Believe  me  at  all  times  unalterably       Yours,  yours. 

2 1 6.  JQHN  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  7  October,  1777. 

I  HAVE  no  time  nor  accommodation  to  write  of  late  ; 
besides,  I  seldom  know  what  to  write,  and  when  I  do,  I 
don't  love  to  write  it.  One  thing  is  now  becoming  more 
and  more  certain  every  day,  that  is,  that  our  people  will 
and  do  fight.  And  although  they  make  a  clumsy  hand  of 
it,  yet  they  do  better  and  better. 

I  am  lodged  in  the  house  of  General  Roberdeau,  an  Is 
raelite  indeed,  I  believe,  who  with  his  sisters  and  children 
and  servants  does  everything  to  make  us  happy.  We  are 
highly  favorecf.  No  other  delegates  are  so  well  off.  I  am 
as  well  as  usual.  Your  dream  will  never  come  to  pass. 
You  never  can  be  coolly  received  by  me  while  my  heart 
beats  and  my  senses  remain. 

I  had  no  letter  from  you  by  the  last  post. 

Yours,  yours,  yours,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

217.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  15  October,  1777. 

I  HAVE  not  been  able  of  late  to  keep  up  rny  correspond 
ence  with  you  so  constantly  as  my  heart  inclined  me  to  do. 
But  I  hope  now  to  write  you  oftener;  but  I  don't  incline 
to  write  very  particularly,  lest  my  letters  should  be  inter 
cepted.  I  am  in  tolerable  health,  but  oppressed  with 
a  load  of  public  cares.  I  have  long  foreseen  that  we 
should  be  brought  down  to  a  great  degree  of  depression 


1777.1  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  317 

before  the  people  of  America  would  be  convinced  of  their 
real  danger,  of  the  true  causes  of  it,  and  be  stimulated  to 
take  the  necessary  steps  for  a  reformation.  Government 
and  law  in  the  States,  large  taxation,  and  strict  discipline 
in  our  armies  are  the  only  things  wanting  as  human  means. 
These  with  the  blessing  of  Heaven  will  certainly  produce 
glory,  triumph,  liberty  and  safety,  arid  peace,  and  nothing 
but  these  will  do. 

I  long  with  the  utmost  impatience  to  come  home.  Don't 
send  a  servant  for  me.  The  expense  is  so  enormous  that 
I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  it.  I  will  crawl  home  upon 
my  little  pony,  and  wait  upon  myself  as  well  as  I  can.  I 
think  you  had  better  sell  my  horse. 

The  people  are  universally  calling  for  fighting  and  for 
blood.  Washington  is  getting  into  the  humor  of  fighting, 
and  Howe  begins  to  dread  it.  And  well  he  may.  Fight 
ing  will  certainly  answer  the  end,  although  we  may  be 
beaten  every  time  for  a  great  while.  We  have  been  here 
tofore  greatly  deceived  concerning  the  numbers  of  militia. 
But  there  are  numbers  enough,  if  they  knew  how  to  fight, 
which  as  soon  as  their  Generals  will  let  them,  they  will 
learn. 

2 1 8.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

20  October,  1777. 

'T  is  true,  my  dearest  friend,  that  I  have  spent  an  anxious 
three  weeks,  and  the  sight  of  a  letter  from  you  gave  me 
joy  beyond  expression.  I  had  sent  every  post  day,  and 
every  post  was  disappointed.  I  could  not  learn  one  word 
with  certainty.  Nor  can  I  now  determine  whether  you  are 
eighty-eight  miles  nearer  to  me,  or  farther  off  than  you  were 
before. 

I  was  greatly  surprised  when  I  heard  that  the  enemy 
was  in  possession  of  Philadelphia,  without  any  engagement 
on  our  part.  If  men  will  not  fight  and  defend  their  own 
particular  spot,  if  they  will  not  drive  the  enemy  from  their 
doors,  they  deserve  the  slavery  and  subjection  which  awaits 
them.  There  is  much,  I  think,  comprised  in  that  short 
sentence,  "  I  shall  avoid  all  history  and  make  no  reflec- 


318  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

tions."  I  think  I  can  construe  a  volume  from  it.  I  will 
follow  the  example,  lest  a  miscarriage  of  this  should  give 
triumph  to  an  enemy. 

Our  affairs  at  the  northward  wear  a  more  pleasing  as 
pect.  The  sunshine  from  the  north  gilds  the  dark  clouds 
of  the  south,  or  the  storm  would  look  dismal  indeed. 

It  is  a  New  England  observation"  that  in  some  Jate  gen 
eral  orders,  when  many  motives  and  stimulatives  were  set 
before  the  men  to  excite  them  to  action,  they  were  assured 
of  conquest  without  once  acknowledging  the  superinten 
dence  of  Divine  Providence. 

Our  favorite  Dr.  Tillotson  observes  that  "  in  all  our  con 
cernments  we  ought  to  have  a  particular  regard  to  the 
Supreme  Disposer  of  all  things,  arid  earnestly  to  seek  his 
favor  and  blessing  upon  all  our  undertakings,  but  more 
especially  in  the  affairs  of  war,  in  which  the  providence  of 
God  is  pleased  many  times  in  a  very  peculiar  manner  to 
interpose  and  interest  itself,  because  all  war  is  as  it  were 
an  appeal  to  God,  and  a  reference  of  those  causes  to  the 
decision  of  His  providence  which  through  pride  and  in 
justice  and  perverse  passions  of  men  can  receive  no  other 
determination." 

'T  is  not  more  than  three  weeks  since  I  thought  our 
affairs  looked  in  a  more  prosperous  train  than  they  had 
done  since  the  commencement  of  the  war.  Though  they 
have  not  taken  the  turn  I  hoped  for,  yet  I  doubt  not  they 
will  finally  terminate  in  our  favor.  Providence  for  wise 
purpose  has  oftentimes  since  the  commencement  of  this 
war  brought  about  our  deliverance  by  ways  and  means 
which  have  appeared  to  us  the  most  improbable  and  un 
likely  ;  has  given  into  our  hands  those  things  which  we 
were  destitute  of,  and  in  the  greatest  necessity  for.  So 
true  it  is,  Acknowledge  Him  in  all  thy  ways  and  He  shall 
direct  thy  paths. 

To  you,  my  dear  friend,  I  need  not  excuse  these  moral 
reflections.  I  have  ever  considered  it  as  a  happiness  to  be 
united  to  one  whose  sentiments  in  religion  were  not  only 
agreeable  to  my  own,  but  to  what  I  have  ever  esteemed 
the  truth. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  319 

22  October. 

I  believe  I  may  venture  to  congratulate  my  love  upon 
the  completion  of  his  wishes  with  regard  to  Burgoyne. 
'T  is  reported  to-day  from  many  ways  that  he  has  with  his 
whole  army  fallen  into  our  hands,  and  'tis  said  the  post 
brings  the  same  intelligence.  If  true,  as  I  most  sincerely 
hope,  let  us  with  gratitude  acknowledge  the  interposition 
of  Heaven  in  our  favor. 

We  have,  too,  accounts  of  an  engagement  at  the  south 
ward.  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  fighting,  even  though  we  come 
off  second-best ;  not  because,  Heaven  is  my  witness,  I 
delight  in  the  effusion  of  human  blood,  but  because  I  be 
lieve  by  delay  we  should  lose  more  lives  than  by  the  sword. 
It  sinks  our  spirits,  disheartens  our  soldiers,  makes  them 
both  idle  and  wicked.  How  great  would  be  my  joy  could 
I  see  peace  and  quietness  once  more  restored  to  this  dis 
tressed  land,  — 

"  Peace  o'er  this  land  her  olive  branch  extend, 
And  white  rob'd  innocence  from  heaven  descend." 

It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  hear  of  your  health  and 
spirits.  Did  you  save  your  clothes,  or  have  they  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  ?  We  are  all  very  well  in  the 
family. 

'T  is  very  cold  for  the  season.  We  had  snow  yesterday 
and  ice  in  the  streets  this  morning.  When  shall  I  see  my 
friend  ?  'T  is  more  than  nine  long  months  since  we  parted. 
Shall  I  send  1  in  the  beginning  of  December  ?  Heaven 
grant  us  a  joyful  meeting.  Ever  yours. 

219.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  24  October,  1777. 

IT  is  with  shame  that  I  recollect  that  I  have  not  written 
you  more  than  two  or  three  letters  these  five  weeks,  and 
those  very  short.  News  I  am  afraid  to  write,  because  I 
never  know,  until  it  is  too  late,  what  is  true.  From  last 
Sunday  to  this  moment,  Friday  afternoon,  four  o'clock,  we 
have  been  in  a  state  of  tormenting  uncertainty  concerning 

1  Horses.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  other  mode  of  transport  at  this 
time. 


320  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

our  affairs  at  the  northward.  On  Sunday  we  had  news 
from  the  committee  of  Albany,  through  Governor  Clinton 
and  General  Washington,  of  a  capitulation  of  Burgoyne 
and  his  whole  army.  To  this  moment  we  have  no  express 
from  Gates  nor  any  authentic  confirmation. 

Howe  has  drawn  his  army  into  the  city,  and  Washing 
ton  is  at  Germantown.  Supplies  will  be  cut  off  from  the 
British  army  in  a  great  measure. 

I  am,  etc.,  yours  forever. 

We  shall  finish  a  plan  of  Confederation  in  a  few  days. 

220.  JopK  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  25  October,  1777. 

THIS  town  is  a  small  one,  not  larger  than  Plymouth. 
There  are  in  it  two  German  Churches,  the  one  Lutheran, 
the  other  Calvinistical.  The  congregations  are  pretty  nu 
merous  and  their  attendance  upon  public  worship  is  decent. 
It  is  remarkable  that  the  Germans,  wherever  they  are 
found,  are  careful  to  maintain  the  public  worship,  which  is 
more  than  can  be  said  of  the  other  denominations  of 
Christians,  this  way.  There  is  one  Church  here,  erected  by 
the  joint  contributions  of  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians, 
but  the  minister,  who  is  a  missionary,  is  confined  for  Tory 
ism,  so  that  they  have  had  for  a  long  time  no  public  wor 
ship.  Congress  have  appointed  two  chaplains,  Mr.  White 
and  Mr.  Duffield,  the  former  of  whom,  an  Episcopalian,  is 
arrived,  and  opens  Congress  with  prayers  every  day.  The 
latter  is  expected  every  hour.  Mr.  Duche,  I  am  sorry  to  in 
form  you,  has  turned  out  an  apostate  and  a  traitor.  Poor 
man  !  I  pity  his  weakness  and  detest  his  wickedness. 

As  to  news,  we  are  yet  in  a  painful  suspense  about  af 
fairs  at  the  northward,  but  from  Philadelphia  we  have 
accounts  that  are  very  pleasing.  Commodore  Hazelwood 
with  his  galleys  arid  Lieutenant-colonel  Smith  in  the  gar 
rison  of  Fort  Mifflin  have  behaved  in  a  manner  the  most 
gallant  and  glorious.  They  have  defended  the  river  and 
the  fort  with  a  firmness  and  perseverance  which  does 
honor  to  human  nature.  If  the  news  from  the  northward 
is  true,  Mr.  Howe  will  scarcely  venture  upon  winter-quar- 


1777.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  321 

ters    in    Philadelphia.     We  are  waiting    for    news    from 
Rhode  Island. 

I  am  wearied  with  the  life  I  lead,  and  long  for  the  joys 
of  my  family.  God  grant  I  may  enjoy  it  in  peace.  Peace 
is  my  dear  delight.  War  has  no  charms  for  me.  If  I 
live  much  longer  in  banishment  I  shall  scarcely  know  my 
own  children.  Tell  my  little  ones  that  if  they  will  be 
very  good,  papa  will  come  home. 

221.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Boston,  25  October,  1777. 

THE  joyful  news  of  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne 
and  all  his  army,  to  our  victorious  troops,  prompted  me  to 
take  a  ride  this  afternoon  with  my  daughter  to  town,  to 
join,  to-morrow,  with  my  friends  in  thanksgiving  and  praise- 
to  the  Supreme  Being  who  hath  so  remarkably  delivered 
our  enemies  into  our  hands.  And,  hearing  that  an  express- 
is  to  go  off  to-morrow  morning,  I  have  retired  to  write  you 
a  few  lines.  I  have  received  no  letters  from  you  since 
you  left  Philadelphia,  by  the  post,  and  but  one  by  any 
private  hand.  I  have  written  you  once  before  this.  Do 
not  fail  of  writing  by  the  return  of  this  express,  and  direct 
your  letters  to  the  care  of  my  uncle,  who  has  been  a  kind 
and  faithful  hand  to  me  through  the  whole  season,  and  a 
constant  attendant  upon  the  post-office. 

Burgoyne  is  expected  in  by  the  middle  of  the  week.  I 
have  read  many  articles  of  capitulation,  but  none  which, 
ever  before  contained  so  generous  terms.  Many  people 
find  fault  with  them,  but  perhaps  do  not  consider  suffi 
ciently  the  circumstances  of  General  Gates,  who,  by  de 
laying  and  exacting  more,  might  have  lost  all.  This  must 
be  said  of  him,  that  he  has  followed  the  Golden  Rule,  and 
done  as  he  would  wish  himself,  in  like  circumstances,  to  be 
dealt  with.  Must  not  the  vaporing  Burgoyne,  who,  it  is 
said,  possesses  great  sensibility,  be  humbled  to  the  dust  ? 
He  may  now  write  the  "  Blockade  of  Saratoga."  l  I  Jbave- 

1  This  refers  to  Burgoyne's  talents  as  a  dramatist,  which  were  said  to  have 
been  called  into  requisition  to  amuse  his  companions  whilst  penned  up  within 
the  lines  in  Boston. 

21 


322  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

heard  it  proposed  that  he  should  take  up  his  quarters  in 
the  Old  South,  but  believe  he  will  not  be  permitted  to 
come  to  this  town.  Heaven  grant  us  success  at  the  south 
ward.  That  saying  of  Poor  Richard  often  occurs  'to  my 
mind,  "  God  helps  them  who  help  themselves  ; "  but  if  men 
turn  their  backs  and  run  from  an  enemy,  they  cannot  surely 
expect  to  conquer  him. 

This  day,  dearest  of  friends,  completes  thirteen  years 
since  we  were  solemnly  united  in  wedlock.  Three  years 
of  this  time  we  have  been  cruelly  separated.  I  have,  pa 
tiently  as  I  could,  endured  it,  with  the  belief  that  you  were 
serving  your  country  and  rendering  your  fellow-creatures 
essential  benefits.  May  future  generations  rise  up  and 
call  you  blessed,  and  the  present  behave  worthy  of  the 
blessings  you  are  laboring  to  secure  to  them,  and  I  shall 
have  less  reason  to  regret  the  deprivation  of  my  own  par 
ticular  felicity.  Adieu,  dearest  of  friends,  adieu. 

222.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  26  October,  1777. 

MR.  COLMAN  goes  off  for  Boston  to-morrow.  I  have 
seized  a  moment  to  congratulate  you  on  the  great  and 
glorious  success  of  our  arms  at  the  northward  and  in  Del 
aware  River.  The  forts  at  Province  Island  and  Redbank 
have  been  defended  with  a  magnanimity  which  will  give 
our  country  a  reputation  in  Europe.  Colonel  Greene  re 
pulsed  the  enemy  from  Redbank  and  took  Count  Donop 
and  his  aid  prisoners.  Colonel  Smith  repulsed  a  bold  at 
tack  upon  Fort  Mifflin,  and  our  galleys  disabled  two  men- 
of-war,  a  sixty-four  and  a  twenty  gun  ship,  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  enemy  blew  them  up.  This  comes  con 
firmed  this  evening,  in  letters  from  General  Washington, 
inclosing  original  letters  from  officers  in  the  forts. 

Congress  will  appoint  a  thanksgiving ;  and  one  cause  of 
it  ought  to  be  that  the  glory  of  turning  the  tide  of  arms  is 
not  immediately  due  to  the  Commander-in-chief  nor  to 
southern  troops.  If  it  had  been,  idolatry  and  adulation 
would  have  been  unbounded ;  so  excessive  as  to  endanger 
our  liberties,  for  what  I  know.  Now,  we  can  allow  a  cer- 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  323 

tain  citizen  to  be  wise,  virtuous,  and  good,  without  thinking 
him  a  deity  or  a  savior. 

223.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Yorktown,  28  October,  1777. 

WE  have  been  three  days  soaking  and  poaching  in  the 
heaviest  rain  that  has  been  known  for  several  years,  and 
what  adds  to  the  gloom  is  the  uncertainty  in  which  we  re 
main  to  this  moment  concerning  the  fate  of  Gates  and 
Burgoyne.  We  are  out  of  patience.  It  is  impossible  to 
bear  this  suspense  with  any  temper. 

I  am  in  comfortable  lodgings,  which  is  a  felicity  that  has 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  a  very  few  of  our  members.  Yet  the 
house  where  I  am  is  so  thronged  that  I  cannot  enjoy  such 
accommodations  as  I  wish.  I  cannot  have  a  room  as  I 
used,  and  therefore  cannot  find  opportunities  to  write  as  I 
once  did. 

The  people  of  this  country  are  chiefly  Germans,  who 
have  schools  in  their  own  language,  as  well  as  prayers, 
psalms,  and  sermons,  so  that  multitudes  are  born,  grow  up, 
and  die  here,  without  ever  learning  the  English.  In  poli 
tics  they  are  a  breed  of  mongrels  or  neutrals,  and  benumbed 
with  a  general  torpor.  If  the  people  in  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  Delaware,  and  Jersey  had  the  feelings  and  the 
spirit  of  some  people  that  I  know,  Howe  would  be  soon  en 
snared  in  a  trap  more  fatal  than  that  in  which,  as  it  is  said, 
Burgoyne  was  taken.  Howe  is  completely  in  our  power, 
and  if  he  is  not  totally  ruined  it  will  be  entirely  owing  to 
the  awkwardness  and  indolence  of  this  country.  Fighting, 
however,  begins  to  become  fashionable.  Colonel  Greene 
has  exhibited  a  glorious  example  in  the  defense  of  Red 
Bank.  But  this  must  be  done  by  a  New  England  man  at 
the  head  of  two  New  England  regiments,  Rhode  Islanders. 
Colonel  Smith,  however,  is  a  Marylander  from  Baltimore. 
He  has  shown  another  example  of  magnanimity  which  gives 
me  the  most  agreeable  hopes.  Commodore  Hazelwood,  too, 
has  behaved  in  a  manner  that  exceeds  all  praise.  This 
spirit  will  be  caught  by  other  officers,  for  bravery  is  epi 
demical  and  contagious  as  the  plague.  This  army  suffers 
much  for  want  of  blankets  and  shoes. 


324  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

I  celebrated  the  25th  of  this  month  in  my  own  mind  and 
heart  much  more  than  I  shall  the  30th,1  because  I  think  the 
first  a  more  fortunate  day  than  the  last.  My  duty  to  your 
father  and  my  mother,  to  uncles  and  aunts.  Love  to  broth 
ers  and  sisters  ;  but  above  all,  present  all  the  affection  that 
words  can  express  to  our  dear  babes. 

224.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

16  November,  1777. 

IN  a  letter  which  came  to  me  to-night  you  chide  yourself 
for  neglecting  to  write  so  frequently  as  you  had  done.  'T  is 
true  a  very  long  space  of  near  a  fortnight  passed  without 
hearing  one  word  from  you.  I  cannot  help  feeling  anxious 
when  such  a  space  elapses  without  receiving  a  line,  but  I 
have  no  reason  to  complain.  You  have,  considering  your 
avocations,  been  more  attentive  than  I  had  reason  to  ex 
pect. 

"  Heaven  sure  taught  letters  for  some  wretch's  aid, 
Some  banished  lover  or  some  captive  maid." 

I  have  been  more  fearful  than  formerly  of  writing  by 
the  post,  as  I  have  never  received  a  letter  from  you  by  that 
conveyance  since  you  left  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Colman 
brought  me  yours  of  25  and  26  October.  You  have 
before  this  time  received  from  me  one  of  the  same  date, 
since  which  I  have  not  written.  I  have  been  too  much  mor 
tified  with  a  late  expedition  to  write  you  any  particulars  con 
cerning  it.  Indeed,  it  was  from  the  beginning  a  subject  of 
burlesque,  owing,  I  believe,  to  the  small  opinion  most  people 
had  of  the  heroic  talents  of  the  commanders.  It  was 
called  a  secret  expedition  to  Newport.  A  fortnight  be 
fore  the  troops  marched,  there  were  by  all  accounts  as  fine 
a  set  collected  as  any  spirited  commander  could  have 
wished  for,  and  't  is  said  for  twenty  days  the  island  might 
have  been  successfully  (to  all  appearance)  attacked.  The 
public  are  very  angry,  as  well  they  may  be,  and  demand 
an  inquiry.  I  know  you  will  be  mortified,  because  it  has 
been  a  favorite  object  with  you,  but  if  you  want  your 
arms  crowned  with  victory,  you  should  not  appoint  what 
General  Gates  calls  dreaming  Deacons  to  conduct  them. 

1  The  one  his  wedding  day,  the  other  his  birthday. 


1777.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  325 

General  Burgoyne  and  his  troops  arrived  last  week  in 
Cambridge.  All  seems  to  be  quietness  at  present.  From 
the  southward  we  get  no  very  authentic  accounts.  To-day 
Howe  and  his  whole  army  are  captives !  To-morrow  they 
have  got  possession  of  our  forts  and  weighed  the  chevaux 
de  frise. 

18  November. 

No  news  at  all.  Our  mountebank  story  of  captivating 
Howe  and  his  army  is  come  to  nothing.  The  southern 
troops  must  have  some  assistance  from  the  northern  before 
anything  very  brilliant  will  take  place.  Providence  over 
rules  things  for  the  best,  and  will  w6rk  out  our  salvation 
for  us  in  the  wisest  and  best  manner,  provided  we  perform 
our  duty. 

]S"ow,  my  dear  friend,  shall  I  ask  you  when  you  will  re 
turn,  a  question  I  have  not  asked  for  these  ten  months  ? 
Knowing  your  determination  when  you  left  me,  I  have  sum 
moned  patience  and  endeavored  to  submit  to  my  destiny. 
By  the  time  this  reaches  you  eleven  months  will  be  elapsed, 
and  you,  I  hope,  preparing  for  your  journey.  It  will  be  a 
tedious  one,  I  fear,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  but  let  the 
thought  of  the  cordial  reception  you  will  be  assured  of 
meeting  warm  the  cold  wintry  blasts  and  make  your  re 
turn  joyful.  Adieu.  Yours. 

225.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Portsmouth  (N.  H.),  15  December,  1777. 

I  ARRIVED  here  last  evening,  in  good  health.  This 
morning  General  Whipple  l  made  me  a  visit  at  the  tavern, 
Tilton's,  and  insisted  upon  my  taking  a  bed  at  his  house, 
in  so  very  affectionate  and  urgent  a  manner  that  I  believe 
I  shall  go. 

The  cause  comes  on  to-morrow  before  my  old  friend  Dr. 
Joshua  Brackett,  as  Judge  of  Admiralty.  How  it  will  go, 
I  know  not.  The  captors  are  a  numerous  company,  and 
are  said  to  be  very  tenacious,  and  have  many  connections  ; 

1  This  gentleman  had  been  in  Congress,  but  was  now  in  command  of  a 
portion  of  the  New  Hampshire  troops  and  had  just  returned  from  the  victorious 
campaign  against  General  Burgoyne. 


326  FAMILIAR  LETTERS,  [February, 

BO  that  we  have  prejudice  and  influence  to  fear.  Justice, 
policy,  and  law  are,  I  am  sure,  on  our  side.1 

I  have  had  many  opportunities,  in  the  course  of  this 
journey,  to  observe  how  deeply  rooted  our  righteous  cause 
is  in  the  minds  of  the  people  ;  and  could  write  you  many 
anecdotes  in  proof  of  it.  But  I  will  reserve  them  for 
private  conversation. 

On  second  thoughts,  why  should  I  ?  One  evening,  as  I 
sat  in  one  room,  I  overheard  a  company  of  the  common 
sort  of  people  in  another,  conversing  upon  serious  sub 
jects.  One  of  them,  whom  I  afterwards  found  upon  in 
quiry  to  be  a  reputable,  religious  man,  was  more  eloquent 
than  the  rest.  He  was  upon  the  danger  of  despising  and 
neglecting  serious  things,  and  said  "  whatever  person  or 
people  made  light  of  them  would  soon  find  themselves  ter 
ribly  mistaken."  At  length  I  heard  these  words :  "  It 
appears  to  me  the  eternal  Son  of  God  is  operating  power 
fully  against  the  British  nation  for  their  treating  lightly 
serious  things." 

One  morning  I  asked  my  landlady  what  I  had  to  pay  ? 
"  Nothing,"  she  .  said,  "  I  was  welcome,  and  she  hoped  I 
would  always  make  her  house  my  home.  And  she  should 
be  happy  to  entertain  all  those  gentlemen  who  had  been 
raised  up  by  Providence  to  be  the  saviors  of  their  coun 
try."  This  was  flattering  enough  to  my  vain  heart.  But  it 
made  a  greater  impression  on  me  as  a  proof  how  deeply  this 
cause  had  sunk  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people. 

In  short,  everything  I  see  and  hear  indicates  the  same 
thing. 

226.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Uncle  Quincy's,2  half  after  11  o'clock, 
13  February,  1778. 

DEAREST  OF  FRIENDS,  —  I  had  not  been  twenty  min 
utes  in  this  house  before  I  had  the  happiness  to  see  Cap 
tain  Tucker  and  a  midshipman  coming  for  me.  We  shall 

1  Mr.  Adams  had  been  engaged  as  an  advocate  in  this  admiralty  cause. 

2  At  Mount  Wollaston,  a  place  in  Braintree,  lying  on  the  bay,  from  which 
the  writer,  commissioned   by  Congress  to  go  to  France,  took  his  departure  on 
his  first  voyage,  in  the  frigate  Boston^  Captain  Samuel  Tucker. 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  327 

be  soon  on  board,  and  may  God  prosper  our  voyage  in 
every  stage  of  it  as  much  as  at  the  beginning,  and  send 
to  you,  my  dear  children,  and  all  my  friends,  the  choicest 
of  blessings !  So  wishes  and  prays,  with  an  ardor  that 
neither  absence  nor  any  other  event  can  abate,  yours. 

JOHN  ADAMS. 

P.  S.  Johnny  l  sends  his  duty  to  his  mamma  and  his 
love  to  his  sister  and  brothers.  He  behaves  like  a  man. 

227.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

8  March,  1778. 

'Tis  a  little  more  than  three  weeks  since  the  dearest  of 
friends  and  tenderest  of  husbands  left  his  solitary  partner, 
and  quitted  all  the  fond  endearments  of  domestic  felicity 
for  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  exposed,  perhaps,  to  the  attack 
of  a  hostile  foe,  and,  O  good  Heaven !  can  I  add,  to  the 
dark  assassin,  to  the  secret  murderer,  and  the  bloody  emis 
sary  of  as  cruel  a  tyrant  as  God,  in  his  righteous  judgments, 
ever  suffered  to  disgrace  the  throne  of  Britain. 

I  have  travelled  with  you  over  the  wide  Atlantic,  and 
could  have  landed  you  safe,  with  humble  confidence,  at 
your  desired  haven,  and  then  have  set  myself  down  to  en 
joy  a  negative  kind  of  happiness  in  the  painful  part  which 
it  has  pleased  Heaven  to  allot  me  ;  but  the  intelligence  with 
regard  to  that  great  philosopher,  able  statesman,  and  un 
shaken  friend  of  his  country,2  has  planted  a  dagger  in  my 
breast,  and  I  feel,  with  a  double  edge,  the  weaoon  that 
pierced  the  bosom  of  a  Franklin. 

"  For  nought  avail  the  virtues  of  the  heart, 
Nor  towering  genius  claims  its  due  reward; 
From  Britain's  fury,  as  from  death's  keen  dart, 
No  worth  can  save  us,  and  no  fame  can  guard." 

The  more  distinguished  the  person,  the  greater  the  in 
veteracy  of  these  foes  of  human  nature.  The  argument 
of  my  friends  to  alleviate  my  anxiety,  by  persuading  me 
that  this  shocking  attempt  will  put  you  more  upon  your 

1  John  Quincy  Adams,  ten  years  old,  who  accompanied  his  father. 

2  A  rumor  was  at  this  time  current  that  Franklin  had  been  assassinated  in 
Paris.    It  Is  this  which  gave  rise  to  the  vehement  emotions  visible  here. 


328  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

guard  and  render  your  person  more  secure  than  if  it  had 
'never  taken  place,  is  kind  in  them,  and  has  some  weight ; 
but  my  greatest  comfort  and  consolation  arise  from  the 
belief  of  a  superintending  Providence,  to  whom  I  can 
with  confidence  commit  you,  since  not  a  sparrow  falls  to 
the  ground  without  his  notice.  Were  it  not  for  this,  I 
should  be  miserable  and  overwhelmed  by  my  fears  and  ap 
prehensions. 

Freedom  of  sentiment,  the  life  and  soul  of  friendship, 
is  in  a  great  measure  cut  off  by  the  clanger  of  miscarriage 
and  the  apprehension  of  letters  falling  into  the  hands  of 
our  enemies.  Should  this  meet  with  that  fate,  may  they 
blush  for  their  connection  with  a  nation  who  have  ren 
dered  themselves  infamous  and  abhorred  by  a  long  list  of 
crimes,  which  not  their  high  achievements,  nor  the  lustre 
of  former  deeds,  nor  the  tender  appellation  of  parent,  nor 
the  fond  connection  which  once  subsisted,  can  ever  blot 
from  our  remembrance,  nor  wipe  out  those  indelible  stains 
of  their  cruelty  and  baseness.  They  have  engraven  them 
with  a  pen  of  iron  on  a  rock  forever. 

To  my  dear  son  remember  me  in  the  most  affectionate 
terms.  I  would  have  written  to  him,  but  my  notice  is  so 
short  that  I  have  not  time.  Enjoin  it  upon  him  never  to 
disgrace  his  mother,  and  to  behave  worthily  of  his  father. 
Tender  as  maternal  affection  is,  it  was  swallowed  up  in  what 
I  found  a  stronger,  or  so  intermixed  that  I  felt  it  not  in 
its  full  force  till  after  he  had  left  me.  I  console  myself 
with  the  hopes  of  his  reaping  advantages,  under  the  careful 
eye  of  a  tender  parent,  which  it  was  not  in  my  power  to 
bestow  upon  him. 

There  has  nothing  material  taken  place  in  the  political 
world  since  you  left  us.  This  letter  will  go  by  a  vessel  for 
Bilbao,  from  whence  you  may  perhaps  get  better  op 
portunities  of  conveyance  than  from  any  other  place. 
The  letter  you  delivered  to  the  pilot  came  safe  to  hand. 
All  the  little  folks  are  anxious  for  the  safety  of  their  papa 
and  brother,  to  whom  they  desire  to'  be  remembered ;  to 
which  are  added  the  tenderest  sentiments  of  affection,  and 
the  fervent  prayers  for  your  happiness  and  safety,  of  your 

PORTIA. 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  329 

228.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  in  France,  12  April,  1778. 

I  AM  so  sensible  of  the  difficulty  of  conveying  letters 
safe  to  you,  that  I  am  afraid  to  write  anything  more  than 
to  tell  you  that  after  all  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  my 
voyage  and  journey  I  am  here  in  health. 

The  reception  I  have  met  in  this  kingdom  has  been  as 
friendly,  as  polite,  and  as  respectful  as  was  possible.  It 
is  the  universal  opinion  of  the  people  here,  of  all  ranks, 
that  a  friendship  between  France  and  America  is  the  in 
terest  of  both  countries,  and  the  late  alliance,  so  happily 
formed,  is  universally  popular ;  so  much  so,  that  I  have 
been  told  by  persons  of  good  judgment  that  the  govern 
ment  here  would  have  been  under  a  sort  of  necessity  of 
agreeing  to  it,  even  if  it  had  not  been  agreeable  to  them 
selves.  The  delights  of  France  are  innumerable.  The 
politeness,  the  elegance,  the  softness,  the  delicacy,  are  ex 
treme.  In  short,  stern  and  haughty  republican  as  I  am,  I 
cannot  help  loving  these  people  for  their  earnest  desire  and 
assiduity  to  please. 

It  would  be  futile  to  attempt  descriptions  of  this  coun 
try,  especially  of  Paris  and  Versailles.  The  public  build 
ings  and  gardens,  the  paintings,  sculpture,  architecture, 
music,  etc.,  of  these  cities  have  already  filled  many  vol 
umes.  The  richness,  the  magnificence  and  splendor  are 
beyond  all  description.  This  magnificence  is  not  confined 
to  public  buildings,  such  as  Churches,  hospitals,  schools, 
etc.,  but  extends  to  private  houses,  to  furniture,  equipage, 
dress,  and  especially  to  entertainments.  But  what  is  all 
this  to  me  ?  I  receive  but  little  pleasure  in  beholding  all 
these  things,  because  I  cannot  but  consider  them  as  baga 
telles,  introduced  by  time  and  luxury  in  exchange  for  the 
great  qualities  and  hardy,  manly  virtues  of  the  human 
heart.  I  cannot  help  suspecting  that  the  more  elegance, 
the  less  virtue,  in  all  times  and  countries.  Yet  I  fear  that 
even  my  own  dear  country  wants  the  power  and  opportu 
nity  more  than  the  inclination  to  be  elegant,  soft,  and  lux 
urious. 

All  the  luxury  I  desire  in  this  world  is  the  company  of 


330  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

my  dearest  friend,  and  my  children,  and  such  friends  as 
they  delight  in,  which  I  have  sanguine  hopes  I  shall,  after 
a  few  years,  enjoy  in  peace.  I  am,  with  inexpressible 
affection,  Yours,  yours,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

229.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  25  April,  1778. 

MONSIEUR  CHAUMONT  has  just  informed  me  of  a  vessel 
bound  to  Boston,  but  I  am  reduced  to  such  a  moment  of 
time  that  I  can  only  inform  you  that  I  am  well,  and  in 
close  a  few  lines  from  Johnny  to  let  you  know  that  he  is 
so.  I  have  ordered  the  things  you  desired  to  be  sent  you, 
but  I  will  not  yet  say  by  what  conveyance,  for  fear  of  ac 
cidents. 

If  human  nature  could  be  made  happy  by  anything  that 
can  please  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  taste,  or  any  other  sense, 
or  passion,  or  fancy,  this  country  would  be  the  region  for 
happiness.  But  if  my  country  were  at  peace,  I  should  be 
happier  among  the  rocks  and  shades  of  Penn's  hill  ;  and 
would  cheerfully  exchange  all  the  elegance,  magnificence, 
and  sublimity  of  Europe  for  the  simplicity  of  Braiutree  and 
Wey  mouth. 

To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  admire  the  ladies  here.  Don't 
be  jealous.  They  are  handsome  and  very  well  educated. 
Their  accomplishments  are  exceedingly  brilliant,  and  their 
knowledge  of  letters  and  arts  exceeds  that  of  the  English 
ladies,  I  believe. 

Tell  Mrs.  Warren  that  I  shall  write  her  a  letter,  as  she 
desired,  and  let  her  know  some  of  my  reflections  in  this 
country.  My  venerable  colleague l  enjoys  a  privilege 
here  that  is  much  to  be  envied.  Being  seventy  years  of 
age,  the  ladies  not  only  allow  him  to  embrace  them  as  often 
as  he  pleases,  but  they  are  perpetually  embracing  him.  I 
told  him  yesterday  I  would  write  this  to  America. 

230.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

18  May,  1778. 

I  HAVE  waited  with  great  patience,  restraining,  as  much 
as  possible,  every  anxious  idea  for  three  months.     But  now 
l  Franklin. 


1778.]  •   ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  331 

every  vessel  which  arrives  sets  my  expectation  upon  the 
wing,  and  I  pray  my  guardian  genius  to  waft  me  the  happy 
tidings  of  your  safety  and  welfare.  Hitherto  my  wander 
ing  ideas  have  roved,  like  the  son  of  Ulysses,  from  sea  to 
sea,  and  from  shore  to  shore,  not  knowing  where  to  find 
you ;  sometimes  I  fancied  you  upon  the  mighty  waters, 
sometimes  at  your  desired  haven,  sometimes  upon  the  un 
grateful  and  hostile  shore  of  Britain,  but  at  all  times,  and 
in  all  places,  under  the  protecting  care  and  guardianship  of 
that  Being  who  not  only  clothes  the  lilies  of  the  field,  and 
hears  the  young  ravens  when  they  cry,  but  hath  said,  "  Of 
how  much  more  worth  are  ye  than  many  sparrows  ;  "  and 
this  confidence,  which  the  world  cannot  deprive  me  of,  is 
my  food  by  day  and  my  rest  by  night,  and  was  all  my  con 
solation  under  the  horrid  ideas  of  assassination,  —  the  only 
event  of  which  I  had  not  thought,  and  in  some  measure 
prepared  my  mind. 

AYhen  my  imagination  sets  you  down  upon  the  Gallic 
shore,  a  land  to  which  Americans  are  now  bound  to- trans 
fer  their  affections,  and  to  eradicate  all  those  national  prej 
udices  which  the  proud  and  haughty  nation  whom  we  once 
revered  craftily  instilled  into  us,  whom  they  once  styled 
their  children,  I  anticipate  the  pleasure  you  must  feel,  and, 
though  so  many  leagues  distant,  share  in  the  joy  of  find 
ing  the  great  interest  of  our  country  so  generously  es 
poused  and  nobly  aided  by  so  powerful  a  monarch.  Your 
prospects  must  be  much  brightened ;  for  when  you  left 
your  native  land  they  were  rather  gloomy.  If  an  un 
wearied  zeal  and  persevering  attachment  to  the  cause  of 
truth  and  justice,  regardless  of  the  allurements  of  ambition 
on  the  one  hand  or  the  threats  of  calamity  on  the  other, 
can  entitle  any  one  to  the  reward  of  peace,  liberty,  and 
safety,  a  large  portion  of  those  blessings  are  reserved  for 
my  friend  in  his  native  land. 

"  Oh,  wouldst  thou  keep  thy  country's  loud  applause, 
Loved  as  her  father,  as  her  God  adored, 
Be  still  the  bold  asserter  of  her  cause, 
Her  voice  in  council;  (in  the  fight  her  sword;) 
In  peace,  in  war,  pursue  thy  country's  good: 
For  her,  bare  thy  bold  breast  and  pour  thy  generous  blood." 


332  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

Difficult  as  the  day  is,  cruel  as  this  war  has  been,  sepa 
rated  as  I  am,  on  account  of  it,  from  the  dearest  connection 
in  life,  I  would  not  exchange  my  country  for  the  wealth  of 
the  Indies,  or  be  any  other  than  an  American,  though  I 
might  be  queen  or  empress  of  any  nation  upon  the  globe. 
My  soul  is  unambitious  of  pomp  or  power.  Beneath  my 
humble  roof,  blessed  with  the  society  and  tenderest  affec 
tion  of  my  dear  partner,  I  have  enjoyed  as  much  felicity 
and  as  exquisite  happiness  as  falls  to  the  share  of  mortals. 
And,  though  I  have  been  called  to  sacrifice  to  my  country, 
I  can  glory  in  my  sacrifice  and  derive  pleasure  from  my 
intimate  connection  with  one  who  is  esteemed  worthy  of 
the  important  trust  devolved  upon  him. 

Britain,  as  usual,  has  added  insult  to  injustice  and  cruelty, 
by  what  she  calls  a  conciliatory  plan.  From  my  soul  I  de 
spise  her  meanness  ;  but  she  has  long  ago  lost  that  treas 
ure  which,  a  great  authority  tells  us,  exalteth  a  nation,  and 
is  receiving  the  reproaches  due  to  her  crimes.  I  have  been 
much  gratified  with  the  perusal  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond's 
speech.  Were  there  ten  such  men  to  be  found,  I  should 
still  have  some  hopes  that  a  revolution  would  take  place  in 
favor  of  the  virtuous  fe\v,  "  and  the  laws,  the  rights,  the 
generous  plan  of  power  delivered  down  from  age  to  age  by 
our  renowned  forefathers  "  be  again  restored  to  that  un 
happy  island. 

I  hope  by  the  close  of  this  month  to  receive  from  you  a 
large  packet.  I  have  written  twice  before  this.  Some 
opportunities  I  may  miss  by  my  distance  from  the  capital. 
I  have  enjoyed  a  good  share  of  health  since  you  left  me  I 
have  not  mentioned  my  dear  son,  though  I  have  often 
thought  of  him  since  I  began  this  letter,  because  I  propose 
writing  to  him  by  this  opportunity.  I  omit  many  domestic 
matters  because  I  will  not  risk  their  coming  to  the  public 
eye.  I  shall  have  a  small  bill  to  draw  upon  you  in  the 
month  of  June.  I  think  to  send  it  to  Mr.  McCreery,  who, 
by  a  letter  received  since  you  went  away,  is,  I  find,  settled 
in  Bordeaux  in  the  mercantile  way,  and  I  dare  say  will  pro 
cure  for  me  anything  I  may  have  occasion  for.  I  wish  you 
would  be  so  good  as  to  write  him  a  line  requesting  the 


JOHN  ADAMS.  333 

favor  of  him  to  procure  me  such  things,  and,  in  addition  to 
the  bills  which  may  be  drawn,  let  him  add  ten  pounds  ster 
ling  at  a  time,  if  I  desire  it.  The  bills  will  be  at  three 
different  times  in  a  year.  If  they  should  arrive  safe  they 
would  render  me  essential  service. 

Our  public  finances  are  upon  no  better  footing  than  they 
were  when  you  left  us.  Five  hundred  dollars  is  now  of 
fered  by  this  town,  per  man,  for  nine  months,  to  recruit  the 
army.  Twelve  pounds  a  month  for  farming  labor  is  the 
price,  and  it  is  not  to  be  procured  under.  Our  friends  are 
all  well  and  desire  to  be  remembered  to  you.  So  many 
tender  sentiments  rush  upon  my  mind,  when  about  to  close 
this  letter  to  you,  that  I  can  only  ask  you  to  measure  them 
by  those  which  you  find  in  your  own  bosom  for 

Your  affectionate  PORTIA. 

231.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  3  June.  1778. 

ON  the  13th  of  February  I  left  you.  It  is  now  the  3d 
of  June,  and  I  have  not  received  a  line  nor  heard  a  word, 
directly  nor  indirectly,  concerning  you,  since  my  departure. 
This  is  a  situation  of  mind  in  which  I  never  was  before, 
and  I  assure  you  I  feel  a  great  deal  of  anxiety  at  it ;  yet 
I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  because  I  suppose  few  vessels  have 
sailed  from  Boston  since  ours.  I  have  shipped  for  you  the 
articles  you  requested,  and  the  black  cloth  for  your  father, 
to  whom  present  my  most  affectionate  and  dutiful  respects. 
Captain  Tucker,  if  he  should  not  be  unlucky,  will  give  you 
an  account  of  your  things. 

It  would  be  endless  to  attempt  a  description  of  this 
country.  It  is  one  great  garden.  Nature  and  art  have 
conspired  to  render  everything  here  delightful.  Religion 
and  government,  you  will  say,  ought  to  be  excepted.  With 
all  my  heart.  But  these  are  no  afflictions  to  me,  because  I 
have  well  fixed  it  in  my  mind  as  a  principle,  that  every 
nation  has  a  right  to  that  religion  and  government  which 
it  chooses,  and  as  long  as  any  people  please  themselves  in 
jhese  great  points,  I  am  determined  they  shall  not  displease 
me. 


334  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

There  is  so  much  danger  that  my  letter  may  fall  into 
malicious  hands,  that  I  should  not  choose  to  be  too  free  in 
my  observations  upon  the  customs  and  manners  of  this 
people.  But  thus  much  I  may  say  with  truth  and  without 
offense,  that  there  is  no  people  in  the  world  who  take  so 
much  pains  to  please,  nor  any  whose  endeavors  in  this  way 
have  more  success.  Their  arts  and  manners,  taste  and 
language,  are  more  respected  in  Europe  than  those  of  any 
other  nation.  Luxury,  dissipation,  and  effeminacy  are  pretty 
nearly  of  the  same  degree  of  excess  here  and  in  every 
other  part  of  Europe.  The  great  cardinal  virtue  of  tem 
perance,  however,  I  believe  flourishes  here  more  than  in 
any  other  part  of  Europe. 

My  dear  countrymen  !  how  shall  I  persuade  you  to  avoid 
the  plague  of  Europe  !  Luxury  has  as  many  and  as  be 
witching  charms  on  your  side  of  the  ocean  as  on  this ;  and 
luxury,  wherever  she  goes,  effaces  from  human  nature  the 
image  of  the  Divinity.  If  I  had  power  I  would  forever 
banish  and  exclude  from  America  all  gold,  silver,  precious 
stones,  alabaster,  marble,  silk,  velvet,  and  lace. 

Oh,  the  tyrant !  the  American  ladies  would  say.  What ! 
Aye,  my  dear  girls,  these  passions  of  yours  which  are  so  eas 
ily  alarmed,  and  others  of  my  own  sex  which  are  exactly 
like  them,  have  done  and  will  do  the  work  of  tyrants  in  all 
ages.  Tyrants  different  from  me,  whose  power  has  ban 
ished,  not  gold  indeed,  but  other  things  of  greater  value, 
wisdom,  virtue,  and  liberty.  My  son  and  servant  are  well. 
I  am,  with  an  ardor  that  words  have  not  power  to  express, 

Yours. 

232.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS    TO  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 

June,  1778. 

MY  DEAR  SON,  —  'T  is  almost  four  months  since  you 
left  your  native  land,  and  embarked  upon  the  mighty 
waters,  in  quest  of  a  foreign  country.  Although  I  have 
not  particularly  written  to  you  since,  yet  you  may  be  as 
sured  you  have  constantly  been  upon  my  heart  and  mind. 

It  is  a  very  difficult  task,  my  dear  son,  for  a  tender  par 
ent  to  bring  her  mind  to  part  with  a  child  of  your  years, 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  335 

going  to  a  distant  land ;  nor  could  I  have  acquiesced  in 
such  a  separation  under  any  other  care  than  that  of  the 
most  excellent  parent  and  guardian  who  accompanied  you. 
You  have  arrived  at  years  capable  of  improving  under  the 
advantages  you  will  be  likely  to  have,  if  you  do  but  prop 
erly  attend  to  them.  They  are  talents  put  into  your 
hands,  of  which  an  account  will  be  required  of  you  here 
after  ;  and  being  possessed  of  one,  two,  or  four,  see  to  it 
that  you  double  your  numbers. 

The  most  amiable  and  most  useful  disposition  in  a  young 
mind  is  diffidence  of  itself ;  and  this  should  lead  you  to 
seek  advice  and  instruction  from  him  who  is  your  natural 
guardian  and  will  always  counsel  and  direct  you  in  the 
best  manner,  both  for  your  present  and  future  happiness. 
You  are  in  possession  of  a  natural  good  understanding,  and 
of  spirits  unbroken  by  adversity  and  untamed  with  care. 
Improve  your  understanding  by  acquiring  useful  knowledge 
and  virtue,  such  as  will  render  you  an  ornament  to  society, 
an  honor  to  your  country,  and  a  blessing  to  your  parents. 
Great  learning  and  superior  abilities,  should  you  ever  pos 
sess  them,  will  be  of  little  value  and  small  estimation,  un 
less  virtue,  honor,  truth,  and  integrity  are  added  to  them. 
Adhere  to  those  religious  sentiments  and  principles  which 
were  early  instilled  into  your  mind,  and  remember  that  you 
are  accountable  to  your  Maker  for  all  your  words  and 
actions. 

Let  me  enjoin  it  upon  you  to  attend  constantly  and 
steadfastly  to  the  precepts  and  instructions  of  your  father, 
as  you  value  the  happiness  of  your  mother  and  your  own 
welfare.  His  care  and  attention  to  you  render  many 
things  unnecessary  for  me  to  write,  which  I  might  other 
wise  do  ;  but  the  inadvertency  and  heedlessness  of  youth 
require  line  upon  line  and  precept  upon  precept,  and,  when 
enforced  by  the  joint  efforts  of  both  parents,  these  will,  I 
hope,  have  a  due  influence  upon  your  conduct ;  for,  dear 
as  you  are  to  me,  I  would  much  rather  you  should  have 
found  your  grave  in  the  ocean  you  have  crossed,  or  that 
any  untimely  death  should  crop  you  in  your  infant  years, 
than  see  you  an  immoral,  profligate,  or  graceless  child. 


336  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

You  have  entered  early  in  life  upon  the  great  theatre  of 
the  world,  which  is  full  of  temptations  and  vice  of  every 
kind.  You  are  riot  wholly  unacquainted  with  history,  in 
which  you  have  read  of  crimes  which  your  inexperienced 
mind  could  scarcely  believe  credible.  You  have  been 
taught  to  think  of  them  with  horror,  and  to  view  vice  as 

"a  monster  of  so  frightful  mien 
That,  to  be  hated,  needs  but  to  be  seen." 

Yet  you  must  keep  a  strict  guard  upon  yourself,  or  the 
odious  monster  will  soon  lose  its  terror  by  becoming  fa 
miliar  to  you.  The  modern  history  of  our  own  times  fur 
nishes  as  black  a  list  of  crimes  as  can  be  paralleled  in  an 
cient  times,  even  if  we  go  back  to  Nero,  Caligula,  or 
Caesar  Borgia.  .Young  as  you  are,  the  cruel  war  into 
which  we  have  been  compelled  by  the  haughty  tyrant  of 
Britain  and  the  bloody  emissaries  of  his  vengeance  may 
stamp  upon  your  mind  this  certain  truth,  that  the  welfare 
and  prosperity  of  all  countries,  communities,  and,  I  may 
add,  individuals,  depend  upon  their  morals.  That  nation 
to  which  we  were  once  united,  as  it  has  departed  from  jus 
tice,  eluded  and  subverted  the  wise  laws  which  formerly 
governed  it,  and  suffered  the  worst  of  crimes  to  go  un 
punished,  has  lost  its  valor,  wisdom,  and  humanity,  and, 
from  being  the  dread  and  terror  of  Europe,  has  sunk  into 
derision  and  infamy. 

But,  to  quit  political  subjects,  I  have  been  greatly  anx 
ious  for  your  safety,  having  never  heard  of  the  frigate  since 
she  sailed,  till,  about  a  week  ago,  a  New  York  paper  in 
formed  that  she  was  taken  and  carried  into  Plymouth.  I 
did  not  fully  credit  this  report,  though  it  gave  me  much 
uneasiness.  I  yesterday  heard  that  a  French  vessel  was 
arrived  at  Portsmouth,  which  brought  news  of  the  safe  ar 
rival  of  the  Boston  ;  but  this  wants  confirmation.  I  hope 
it  will  not  be  long  before  I  shall  be  assured  of  your  safety. 
You  must  write  me  an  account  of  your  voyage,  of  your 
situation,  and  of  everything  entertaining  you  can  recollect. 

Be  assured  I  am  most  affectionately  yours,      . 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  337 

233.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  16  June,  1778. 

SINCE  my  last,  I  have  had  the  inexpressible  pleasure  of 
yours  of  the  25th  of  March  by  the  way  of  Holland,  which 
is  the  first  and  the  last  letter  as  yet  received  from  you. 
This  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  a  young  gentleman  of 
the  name  of  Archer,  who  is  going  to  America  to  serve  in 
our  army  as  a  volunteer.  He  is  a  promising  youth,  and 
will  tell  you  all  the  news  both  in  England  and  France. 
Germany  seems  at  the  eve  of  war.  The  Emperor  and 
King  of  Prussia  are  at  the  head  of  armies,  and  on  tiptoe 
to  strike  the  blow.  England  seems  to  be  lost  in  a  stupor. 
Byron's  fleet  is  not  yet  sailed.  D'Estaing's  passed  the 
straits  of  Gibraltar  the  16th  of  May. 

We  long  to  hear  from  America  the  ratification  of  the 
Treaty  with  France,  the  captivity  of  General  Clinton's 
army,  and  of  Lord  Howe's  fleet.  John  is  very  well  at 
school. 

I  want  a  few  pamphlets  here,  "  The  Thoughts  on  Gov 
ernment,  "  "  The  New  York  Constitution,"  "  An  Essay  of  a 
Constitution  of  Government  for  Pennsylvania,"  said  to  have 
been  written  by  Mr.  Dickinson.  Look  them  up  and  send 
them. 

I  cannot  learn  that  any  reinforcement  is  to  be  sent  to 
America  this  summer.  They  can  spare  none.  They  are 
in  a  panic  from  an  apprehension  of  an  invasion.  Ireland 
is  grown  tumultuous,  is  concerting  a  non-importation  agree 
ment,  and  gives  symptoms  of  an  insurrection. 

234.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

30  June,  1778. 

DEAREST  OF  FRIENDS, —  Shall  I  tell  my  dearest  that 
tears  of  joy  filled  my  eyes  this  morning  at  the  sight  of  his 
well-known  hand  ?  —  the  first  line  which  has  blessed  my 
sight  since  his  four  months'  absence,  during  which  time  I 
have  never  been  able  to  learn  a  word  from  him  or  my  dear 
son.  till,  about  ten  days  ago,  an  English  paper,  taken  in  a 
prize  and  brought  into  Salem,  contained  an  account,  under 
the  Paris  news,  of  your  arrival  at  the  abode  of  Dr.  Frank 


338  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

lin ;  and  last  week  a  cartel  from  Halifax  brought  Cap 
tain  Welch,  of  the  Boston,  who  informed  that  he  left  you 
well  the  11  th  of  March,  and  that  he  had  letters  for  me, 
but  destroyed  them  when  he  was  taken  ;  and  this  is  all  the 
information  I  have  ever  been  able  to  obtain.  Our  enemies 
have  told  us  the  vessel  was  taken,  and  named  the  frigate 
which  took  her,  and  that  she  was  carried  into  Plymouth. 
I  have  lived  a  life  of  fear  and  anxiety  ever  since  you  left 
me.  Not  more  than  a  week  after  your  absence  the  horrid 
story  of  Dr.  Franklin's  assassination  was  received  from 
France,  and  sent  by  Mr.  Purviance,  of  Baltimore,  to  Con 
gress  and  to  Boston.  Near  two  months  before  that  was 
contradicted.  Then  we  could  not  hear  a  word  from  the 
Boston,  and  most  people  gave  her  up  as  taken  or  lost. 
Thus  has  my  mind  been  agitated  like  a  troubled  sea. 

You  will  easily  conceive  how  grateful  your  favor  of 
April  25th,  and  those  of  our  son,  were  to  me  and  mine  ; 
though  I  regret  your  short  warning,  and  the  little  time  you 
'had  to  write,  by  which  means  I  know  not  how  you  fared 
.upon  your  voyage,  what  reception  you  have  met  with  (not 
-even  from  the  ladies,  though  you  profess  yourself  an  ad 
mirer  of  them),  and  a  thousand  circumstances  which  I  wish 
to  know,  and  which  are  always  particularly  interesting  to 
near  connections.  I  must  request  you  always  to  be  mi 
nute  and  to  write  me  by  every  conveyance.  Some,  per 
haps,  which  may  appear  unlikely  to  reach  me,  will  be  the 
first  to  arrive.  I  own  I  was  mortified  at  so  short  a  letter, 
but  I  quiet  my  heart  with  thinking  there  are  many  more 
upon  their  passage  to  me.  I  have  written  several  before 
this,  and  some  of  them  very  long. 

Now  I  know  you  are  safe,  I  wish  myself  with  you. 
Whenever  you  entertain  such  a  wish,  recollect  that  I  would 
have  willingly  hazarded  all  dangers  to  have  been  your 
companion;  but,  as  that  was  not  permitted,  you  must  con 
sole  me  in  your  absence  by  a  recital  of  all  your  adven 
tures  ;  though,  methinks,  I  would  not  have  them  in  all  re 
spects  too  similar  to  those  related  of  your  venerable  col 
league,  whose  Mentor-like  appearance,  age,  and  philosophy 
most  certainly  lead  the  politico-scientific  ladies  of  France 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  339 

to  suppose  they  are  embracing  the  god  of  wisdom  in  a 
human  form  ;  but  I,  who  own  that  I  never  yet  "  wished 
an  angel,  whom  I  loved  a  man,"  shall  be  full  as  content  if 
those  divine  honors  arc  omitted.  The  whole  heart  of  my 
friend  is  in  the  bosom  of  his  partner.  More  than  half  a 
score  of  years  have  so  riveted  it  there  that  the  fabric 
which  contains  it  must  crumble  into  dust  ere  the  particles 
can  be  separated.  I  can  hear  of  the  brilliant  accomplish 
ments  of  any  of  my  sex  with  pleasure,  and  rejoice  in  that 
liberality  of  sentiment  which  acknowledges  them.  At  the 
same  time,  I  regret  the  trifling,  narrow,  contracted  educa 
tion  of  the  females  of  my  own  country.  I  have  entertained 
a  superior  opinion  of  the  accomplishments  of  the  French 
ladies,  ever  since  I  read  the  letters  of  Dr.  Shebbeare,  who 
professes  that  he  had  rather  take  the  opinion  of  an  accom 
plished  lady,  in  matters  of  polite  writing,  than  the  first  wits 
of  Italy  ;  and  should  think  himself  safer  with  her  appro 
bation  than  with  that  of  a  long  list  of  literati  ;  and  he 
gives  this  reason  for  it,  that  women  have,  in  general,  more 
delicate  sensations  than  men  ;  what  touches  them  is  for 
the  most  part  true  in  nature,  whereas  men,  warped  by  edu 
cation,  judge  amiss  from  previous  prejudice,  and,  referring 
all  things  to  the  mode  of  the  ancients,  condemn  that  by 
comparison,  where  no  true  similitude  ought  to  be  expected. 

But,  in  this  country,  you  need  not  be  told  how  much 
female  education  is  neglected,  nor  how  fashionable  it  has 
been  to  ridicule  female  learning  ;  though  I  acknowledge  it 
my  happiness  to  be  connected  with  a  person  of  a  more  gen 
erous  mind  and  liberal  sentiments.  I  cannot  forbear  tran 
scribing  a  few  generous  sentiments  which  I  lately  met  with 
upon  this  subject. 

u  If  women,"  says  the  writer,  "  are  to  be  esteemed  our 
enemies,  methinks  it  is  an  ignoble  cowardice,  thus  to  disarm 
them,  and  not  allow  them  the  same  weapons  we  use  our 
selves  ;  but  if  they  deserve  the  title  of  our  friends,  't  is  an 
inhuman  tyranny  to  debar  them  of  the  privileges  of  ingen 
uous  education,  which  would  also  render  their  friendship 
so  much  the  more  delightful  to  themselves  and  us.  Nature 
is  seldom  observed  to  be  niggardly  of  her  choicest  gifts  to 


340  FAMILIAR    LETTERS.  [August. 

the  sex.  Their  senses  are  generally  as  quick  as  ours, 
their  reason  as  nervous,  their  judgment  as  mature  and 
solid.  To  these  natural  perfections  add  but  the  advantages 
of  acquired  learning,  what  polite  and  charming  creatures 
would  they  prove  ;  whilst  their  external  beauty  does  the 
office  of  a  crystal  to  the  lamp,  not  shrouding,  but  disclos 
ing,  their  brighter  intellects.  Nor  need  we  fear  to  lose 
our  empire  over  them  by  thus  improving,  their  native  abili 
ties  ;  since,  .where  there  is  most  learning,  sense,  and  knowl 
edge,  there  is  always  observed  to  be  the  most  modesty  and 
rectitude  of  manners."  1 

235.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

23  August,  1778. 

I  COULD  not  omit  so  favorable  an  opportunity  as  the 
present  of  writing  you  a  line  by  Mr.  Warren,  who  is  upon 
his  travel  and  probably  may  take  France  in  his  way.  The 
welfare  of  your  family  is  so  essential  to  your  happiness  that 
I  would  improve  every  means  of  assuring  you  of  it  and  of 
communicating  to  you  the  pleasure  I  have  had  in  receiving 
every  letter  you  have  written  since  you  first  left  the  harbor 
of  Boston.  Mine  to  you  have  not  been  equally  successful. 
Several  packets  have  been  sent  to  Neptune,  though  improp 
erly  directed,  and  I  query  whether,  having  found  his  mis 
take,  he  has  had  complaisance  enough  to  forward  them.  So 
that  you  must  not  charge  to  me  any  failure,  in  point  of 
punctuality  or  attention,  but  to  the  avidity  of  the  watery 
god  who  I  really  believe  has  destroyed  them.  But  enough 
of  romance. 

You  see  me  in  good  spirits.  I  can  tell  you  the  cause. 
The  Alliance  arrived  last  week  and  brought  me  the  feast 
of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul ;  assurances  too  of  the  health 
of  my  dear  absent  friends.  Those  only  who  know  what  a 
separation  is  of  the  tenderest  connections  can  form  adequate 
ideas  of  the  happiness  which  even  a  literary  communication 
affords. 

I  have  written   to   you   and  my  dear  son   by  Captain 

1  This  letter  did  not  reach  its  destination.     The  rough  copy  remaining  ter 
minates  with  this  quotation. 


1778.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  841 

Sampson.  If  Mr.  "Warren  should  be  bearer  of  this  to  you, 
I  need  not  ask  you  to  love  him.  His  merit  will  insure  him 
that,  and  every  attention  he  may  stand  in  need  of,  from 
one  who  never  suffers  the  promising  youth  to  pass  unno 
ticed  by.  He  has  a  double  claim  to  your  friendship,  not  only 
on  account  of  his  own  worth  but  the  long  and  intimate 
friendship  which  has  ever  subsisted  between  his  worthy 
parents  and  the  friend  I  address,  who  will  accept  of  the 
tenderest  sentiments  for  his  health  and  happiness  from  his 
ever  affectionate  A.  ADAMS. 

236.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  23  September,  1778. 

A  VERY  idle,  vain  conversation  at  a  dinner  has  pro 
duced  you  this  letter 1  from  a  venerable  old  lady  in  this 
neighborhood,  the  wife  of  Monsieur  Grand,  the  banker.  As 
the  subject  was  introduced,  and  according  to  the  turn  the 
conversation  really  took,  there  was  not  so  much  vanity  and 
ostentation  on  my  part  as  you  will  suspect  from  her  account 
of  it.  But  as  I  sjteak  French  very  imperfectly,  and  she 
understands  not  a  syllable  of  English,  I  suppose  she  did 
not  fully  understand  me.  All  that  I  maintained  was  that 
it  was  the  duty  of  a  good  citizen  to  sacrifice  all  to  his 
country  in  some  circumstances.  God  grant  I  may  never 
be  called  to  do  this  again  so  often  as  I  have  done  already, 
for  I  have  hazarded  all,  very  often,  and  done  as  much  as 
sacrifice  all,  sometimes.  You  will  have  a  delicate  task  to 
answer  her.  Write  to  her  in  English.  She  has  a  son  about 
five-and-twenty,  who  is  a  master  of  English  and  will  inter 
pret.  It  is  a  virtuous  family,  and  very  civil  to  me  and  my 
dear  Johnny,  of  whom  the  whole  family  is  very  fond. 

We  are  in  deep  concern  for  America ;  the  last  accounts 
having  left  D'Estaing  going  to  Rhode  Island  and  Lord 
Howe  after  him. 

It  is  hio;h  time  for   me   to  write   to   my  children,  but 
hitherto  I  have  not  had  time.     I  hope  you  have  received 
twenty  letters  from  me,  in  which  I  have  desired  you  to 
draw  upon  me  for  what  money  you  want, 
l  This  letter  inclosed  is  missing. 


342  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

237.    ABIGAIL  ADAMS.1 

THE  morning  after  I  received  your  very  short  letter,  I 
determined  to  devote  the  day  to  writing  to  ray  friend ;  but 
I  had  only  just  breakfasted,  when  I  had  a  visit  from  Mon 
sieur  Riviere,  an  officer  on  board  the  Languedoc,  who  speaks 
English  well,  the  captain  of  the  Zara,  and  six  or  eight 
other  officers,  from  on  board  another  ship.  The  first  gentle 
man  dined  with  me,  and  spent  the  day,  so  that  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  writing  that  day.  The  gentlemen  officers 
have  made  me  several  visits,  and  I  have  dined  twice  on 
board,  at  very  elegant  entertainments.  Count  d'Estaing 
has  been  exceedingly  polite  to  me.  Soon  after  he  arrived 
here,  I  received  a  message  from  him  requesting  that  I 
would  meet  him  at  Colonel  Quincy's,  as  it  was  inconvenient 
leaving  his  ship  for  any  long  time.  I  waited  upon  him, 
and  was  very  politely  received.  Upon  parting,  he  re 
quested  that  the  family  would  accompany  me  on  board  his 
ship  and  dine  with  him  the  next  Thursday,  with  any  friends 
we  chose  to  bring  ;  and  his  barge  should  come  for  us.  We 
went,  according  to  the  invitation,  and  were  sumptuously 
entertained,  with  every  delicacy  that  this  country  produces, 
and  the  addition  of  every  foreign  article  that  could  render 
our  feast  splendid.  Music  and  dancing  for  the  young  folks 
closed  the  day. 

The  temperance  of  these  gentlemen,  the  peaceable,  quiet 
disposition  both  of  officers  and  men,  joined  to  many  other 
virtues  which  they  have  exhibited  during  their  continuance 
with  us,  are  sufficient  to  make  Europeans,  and  Americans 
too,  blush  at  their  own  degeneracy  of  manners.  Not  one 
officer  has  been  seen  the  least  disguised  with  liquor  since 
their  arrival.  Most  that  I  have  seen  appear  to  be  gentle 
men  of  family  and  education.  I  have  been  the  more  de 
sirous  to  take  notice  of  them,  as  I  cannot  help  saying  that 
they  have  been  neglected  in  the  town  of  Boston.  Generals 
Heath  and  Hancock  have  done  their  part,  but  very  few,  if 
any,  private  families  have  any  acquaintance  with  them. 

1  This  letter  is  also  taken  from  a  rough  draught  without  date.  The  al 
lusions  to  Count  d'Estaiug  and  his  fleet  fix  it  in  September  or  October  of  1778. 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  343 

Perhaps  I  feel  more  anxious  to  have  them  distinguished,  on 
account  of  the  near  and  dear  connections  I  have  among 
them.  It  would  gratify  me  much,  if  I  had  it  in  my  power, 
to  entertain  every  officer  in  the  fleet. 

In  the  very  few  lines  I  have  received  from,  you,  not  the 
least  mention  is  made  that  you  have  ever  received  a  Jine 
from  me.  I  have  not  been  so  parsimonious  as  my  friend, 
—  perhaps  I  am  not  so  prudent ;  but  I  cannot  take  my  pen, 
with  my  heart  overflowing,  and  not  give  utterance  to  some 
of  the  abundance  which  is  in  it.  Could  you,  after  a  thou 
sand  fears  and  anxieties,  long  expectation,  and  painful  sus 
pense,  be  satisfied  with  my  telling  you  that  I  was  well, 
that  I  wished  you  were  with  me,  that  my  daughter  sent  her 
duty,  that  I  had  ordered  some  articles  for  you,  which  I 
hoped  would  arrive,  etc.,  etc.  ?  By  Heaven,  if  you  could, 
you  have  changed  hearts  with  some  frozen  Laplander,  or 
made  a  voyage  to  a  region  that  has  chilled  every  drop  of 
your  blood  ;  but  I  will  restrain  a  pen  already,  I  fear,  too 
rash,  nor  shall  it  tell  you  how  much  I  have  suffered  from 
this  appearance  of  —  inattention. 

The  articles  sent  by  Captain  Tucker  have  arrived  safe, 
and  will  be  of  great  service  to  me.  Our  money  is  very 
little  better  than  blank  paper.  It  takes  forty  dollars  to 
purchase  a  barrel  of  cider  ;  fifty  pounds  lawful  for  a  hun 
dred  of  sugar,  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  hundred  of  flour  ;  four 
dollars  per  day  for  a  laborer,  and  find  him,  which  will 
amount  to  four  more.  You  will  see,  by  bills  drawn  before 
the  date  of  this,  that  I  had  taken  the  method  which  I  was 
happy  in  finding  you  had  directed  me  to.  I  shall  draw  for 
'the  rest  as  I  find  my  situation  requires.  No  article  thi1 
can  be  named,  foreign  or  domestic,  but  what  costs  more 
than  double  in  hard  money  what  it  once  sold  for.  In  one 
letter  I  have  given  you  an  account  of  our  local  situation, 
and  of  everything  I  thought  you  might  wish  to  know. 
Four  or  five  sheets  of  paper,  written  to  you  by  the  last 
mail,  were  destroyed  "  when  the  vessel  was  taken.1  Dupli 
cates  are  my  aversion,  though  I  believe  I  should  set  a  value 

1  About  this  time  many  of  the  letters  written  by  both  the  parties  were  inter 
cepted  by  British  cruisers. 


344  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

upon  them,  if  I  were  to  receive  them  from  a  certain  friend  ; 
a  friend  who  never  was  deficient  in  testifying  his  regard 
and  affection  to  his  PORTIA. 

238.  JOHN  ADA,M&. 

Passy,  6  November,  1778. 

WE  have  received  information  that  so  many  of  our  let 
ters  have  been  thrown  overboard  that  I  fear  you  will  not 
have  heard  so  often  from  me  as  both  of  us  wish.  I  have 
written  often,  but  my  letters  have  not  been  worth  so  much 
as  other  things  which  I  have  sent  you.  I  sent  you  a  small 
present  by  Captain  Niles,  but  he  is  taken  by  a  Jersey  pri 
vateer.  I  sent  you  also  some  other  things  by  Captain 
Barnes  ;  and  what  affects  me  quite  as  much,  I  sent  the 
things  that  my  dear  brother  Cranch  requested  me  to  send,  by 
these  same  vessels.  These  vessels  were  chosen  because  they 
were  fast  sailers,  and  so  small  as  to  be  able  to  see  danger 
before  they  could  be  seen  ;  but  all  is  taken  and  sent  into 
Guernsey  and  Jersey.  By  Captain  Tucker  I  sent  you  the 
whole  of  the  list  you  gave  me  of  articles  for  the  family. 
These,  I  hope,  have  arrived  safe,  but  I  have  been  so  un 
lucky  that  I  feel  averse  to  meddling  in  this  way.  The 
whole  loss  is  a  trifle,  it  is  true.  But  to  you  in  the 
convenience  of  the  family,  and  to  Mr.  Cranch  in  his  busi 
ness,  it  would  have  been  of  value.  If  the  Boston  arrives, 
the  little  chest  she  carries  to  you  will  be  of.  service. 

My  anxiety  for  you  and  for  the  public  is  not  diminished 
by  time  or  distance.  The  great  number  of  accidental  dis 
appointments  in  the  course  of  the  last  summer  are  afflict 
ing.  But  we  hope  for  better  luck  another  year.  It  seems 
to  be  the  intention  of  Heaven  that  we  should  be  taught  the 
full  value  of  our  liberty  by  the  dearness  of  the  purchase, 
and  the  importance  of  public  virtue  by  the  necessity  of  it. 
There  seems  to  be  also  a  further  design,  that  of  eradicating 
forever  from  the  heart  of  every  American  every  tender 
sentiment  towards  Great  Britain,  that  we  may,  some  time 
or  other,  know  how  to  make  the  full  advantage  of  our  in 
dependence  by  more  extensive  connections  with  other  coun 
tries.  Whatever  siren  songs  of  peace  may  be  sung  in 


1778.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  345 

your  ears,  you  may  depend  upon  it  from  me  (who  unhappily 
have  been  seldom  mistaken  in  my  guesses  of  the  intentions 
of  the  British  government  for  fourteen  years)  that  every 
malevolent  passion  ar,d  every  insidious  art  will  predomi 
nate  in  the  British  cabinet  against  us.  Their  threats  of 
Russians  and  of  great  reinforcements  are  false  and  imprac 
ticable,  and  they  know  them  to  be  so  ;  but  their  threats  of 
doing  mischief  with  the  forces  they  have  will  be  verified  as 
far  as  their  power. 

It  is  by  no  means  pleasant  to  me  to  be  forever  imputing 
malicious  policy  to  a  nation  that  I  have  ever  wished  and 
still  wish  I  could  esteem.  But  truth  must  be  attended  to ; 
and  almost  all  Europe,  the  Dutch  especially,  are  at  this  day 
talking  of  Great  Britain  in  the  style  of  American  sons  of 
liberty.  I  hope  the  unfortunate  events  at  Rhode  Island  * 
will  produce  no  heart-burnings  between  our  countrymen 
and  the  Comte  d'Estaing,  who  is  allowed  by  all  Europe  to 
be  a  great  and  worthy  officer,  and  by  all  who  know  him  to 
be  a  zealous  friend  of  America. 

I  have  enjoyed  uncommon  health  since  my  arrival  in 
this  country,  and,  if  it  was  peace,  and  my  family  here,  I 
could  be  happy.  But  never,  never  shall  I  enjoy  happy 
days  without  either.  My  little  son  gives  me  great  pleasure 
both  by  his  assiduity  to  his  books  and  his  discreet  behavior. 
The  lessons  of  his  mamma  are  a  constant  lesson  to  him, 
and  the  reflection  that  they  are  so  to  his  sister  and  brothers 
is  a  never-failing  consolation  to  me  at  times  when  I  feel 
more  tenderness  for  them  than  words  can  express,  or  than 
I  should  choose  to  express  if  I  had  power.  Remember 
me  in  the  most  affectionate  manner  to  our  parents,  brothers, 
sisters,  uncles,  aunts,  and  —  what  shall  I  say  —  children. 

My  respects  where  they  are  due,  which  is  in  so  many 
places  that  I  cannot  name  them.  With  regard  to  my  con 
nections  with  the  public  business  here,  which  you  will  be 
naturally  inquisitive  to  know  something  of,  I  can  only  sa.y 
that  we  have  many  disagreeable  circumstances  here,  many 

1  The  failure  of  the  plan  against  Rhode  Island  did  give  rise  to  much  excite 
ment  in  Boston,  which  was  scarcely  restrained  when  the  French  vessels  arrived 
there. 


346  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

difficulties  to  accomplish  the  wishes  of  our  constituents,  and 
to  give  satisfaction  to  certain  half-anglified  Americans,  and, 
what  is  more  serious  and  affecting,  to  real  and  deserving 
Americans,  who  are  suffering  in  England,  and  escaping 
from  thence.  But  from  this  Court,  this  city  and  nation, 
I  have  experienced  nothing  but  uninterrupted  politeness. 
It  is  not  possible  for  me  to  express  more  tenderness  and 
affection  to  you  than  will  be  suggested  by  the  name  of 

JOHN  ADAMS. 


239.  JOHN 

Passy,  27  November,  1778. 

MR.  BROWN  is  here,  and  I  cannot  miss  the  opportunity 
by  him  to  write  you  a  line.  I  know  not  how  often  you 
receive  letters  from  me,  so  many  are  taken  or  sunk  ;  but  I 
write  as  often  as  I  can. 

I  have  received  some  letters  from  you,  which  will  occa 
sion  your  name  to  be  classed  with  Mrs.  Macaulay  and 
Madame  Dacier,  for  aught  I  know.  Johnny  is  very  well. 
Stevens  had  a  fall  yesterday,  which  hurt  him  a  little,  but 
not  very  badly.  He  is  in  a  good  way  this  morning.  The 
things  inclosed,  which  were  a  present  to  me,  you  will  do  as 
you  please  with. 

Europe  is  the  dullest  place  in  the  world.  No  news  but 
the  lies  which  the  emissaries  of  England  are  making  and 
spreading  in  every  part.  We  get  no  news  from  Congress, 
or  any  part  of  America.  By  hints  in  some  letters  which  I 
have  heard  of,  I  expect  the  first  vessel  will  bring  us  news 
of  some  new  regulations  of  Congress  concerning  foreign 
affairs.  It  is  said  that  Congress  has  determined  to  have 
but  one  commissioner  at  this  Court.  If  this  is  true,  as  I  sup 
pose  it  is,  as  it  comes  from  Mr.  Deane,  I  am  uncertain 
what  is  to  be  done  with  me.  It  is  said  that  I  am  to  be  sent 
to  some  other  Court,  and  that  the  Dr.  is  to  be  here  alone. 
If  this  should  be  the  case,  I  should  be  puzzled  what  to  do. 
The  motives  of  Congress  are  very  good  to  save  expenses, 
but  this  motive  will  not  have  its  effect  if  I  am  to  be  main 
tained  here  in  idleness,  or  sent  upon  my  travels  to  other 
countries,  where  I  shall  not  be  received,  which  will  be  the 


JOHN  ADAMS.  347 

most  painful  situation  imaginable  to  me.  In  this  case  I 
should  be  at  a  loss  whether  to  return  home  immediately 
or  wait  until  I  could  write  to  Congress  and  obtain  leave. 
Some  of  my  friends  hete  are  of  opinion  that  I  ought  not  to 
return  without  leave.  I  would  not  take  any  step  that 
should  give  any  just  cause  of  offense  to  Congress  or  the 
people.  But  I  cannot  eat  pensions  and  sinecures.  They 
would  stick  in  my  throat.  I  wish  some  honest  vessel  would 
arrive  and  resolve  my  doubts. 

240.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  2  December,  1778. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Last  night  an  express  from  M. 
de  Sartine,  whose  politeness  upon  this  occasion  was  very 
obliging,  brought  me  your  letters  of  September  29th  and 
October  10th.  The  joy  which  the  receipt  of  these  packets 
afforded  me  was  damped  by  the  disagreeable  articles  of  in 
telligence  ;  but  still  more  so  by  the  symptoms  of  grief  and 
complaint  which  appeared  in  the  letters.  For  Heaven's 
sake,  my  dear,  don't  indulge  a  thought  that  it  is  possible  for 
me  to  neglect  or  forget  all  that  is  dear  to  me  in  this  world. 
It  is  impossible  for  me  to  write  as  I  did  in  America. 
What  should  I  write  ?  It  is  not  safe  to  write  anything 
that  one  is  not  willing  should  go  into  all  the  newspapers  of 
the  world.  I  know  not  by  whom  to  write.  I  never  know 
what  conveyance  is  safe.  Vessels  may  have  arrived  with 
out  letters  from  me.  I  am  five  hundred  miles  from  Bor 
deaux,  and  not  much  less  distant  from  Nantes.  I  know 
nothing  of  many  vessels  that  go  from  the  seaports,  and  if  I 
knew  of  all,  there  are  some  that  I  should  not  trust.  Not 
withstanding  this,  I  have  written  to  you  not  much  less  than 
fifty  letters.  I  am  astonished  that  you  have  received  no 
more.  But  almost  every  vessel  has  been  taken.  Two  ves 
sels  by  which  I  sent  goods  to  you  for  the  use  of  your 
family,  and  one  by  which  I  sent  Mr.  Cranch's  things,  we 
know  have  been  taken.  In  every  one  of  these  I  sent 
large  packets  of  letters  and  papers  for  Congress,  for  you, 
and  for  many  friends.  God  knows  I  don't  spend  my  time 
in  idleness,  or  in  gazing  at  curiosities.  I  never  wrote  more 


348  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

letters,  however  empty  they  may  have  been.  But  by  what 
I  hear,  they  have  been  all,  or  nearly  all,  taken  or  sunk. 
My  friends  complain  that  they  have  not  received  letters 
from  me.  I  may  as  well  complain.  I  have  received 
scarcely  any  letters  from  America.  I  have  written  three 
where  I  have  received  one.  From  my  friend  Mr.  Adams  I 
have  received  only  one  short  card ;  from  Mr.  Gerry,  not  a 
syllable  ;  from  Mr.  Lovell,  only  two  or  three,  very  short. 
What  shall  I  say  ?  I  doubt  not  they  have  written  oftener, 
but  letters  miscarry.  Drs.  Cooper  and  Gordon  write  to  Dr. 
Franklin,  not  to  me.  My  friend  Warren  has  been  good  as 
usual.  I  have  received  several  fine,  long  letters,  full  of 
sound  sense,  useful  intelligence,  arid  reflections  as  virtuous, 
as  wise  as  usual,  from  him.  I  have  answered  them  and 
written  more,  but  whether  they  arrive,  I  know  not. 

I  approve  very  much  of  your  draught  upon  me  in  favor 
of  your  cousin.  The  moment  it  arrives,  it  shall  be  paid. 
Draw  for  more  as  you  may  have  occasion.  But  make 
them  give  you  gold  and  silver  for  your  bills.  Your  son  is 
the  joy  of  my  heart,  without  abating  in  the  least  degree  of 
my  affection  for  the  young  rogue  that  did  not  seem  as  if  he 
had  a  father,  or  his  brother  or  sister.  Tell  Abby  her  papa 
likes  her  the  better  for  what  she  tells  her  brother,  viz., 
"  that  she  don't  talk  much,"  because  I  know  she  thinks  and 
feels  the  more.  I  hope  the  Boston  has  arrived.  She  car 
ried  many  things  for  you. 

Last  night  a  friend  from  England  brought  me  the  King's 
speech.  Their  delirium  continues,  and  they  go  on  with 
the  war,  but  the  speech  betrays  a  manifest  expectation  that 
Spain  will  join  against  them,  and  the  debates  betray  a  dread 
of  Holland.  They  have  reason  for  both.  They  have  not 
and  cannot  get  an  ally.  They  cannot  send  any  consider 
able  reinforcement  to  America. 

Your  reflections  upon  the  rewards  of  the  virtuous  friends 
of  the  public  are  very  just.  But  if  virtue  was  to  be  re 
warded  with  wealth,  it  would  not  be  virtue.  If  '  virtue  was 
to  be  rewarded  with  fame,  it  would  not  be  virtue  of  the 
sublimest  kind.  Who  would  not  rather  be  Fabricius  than 
Caesar  ?  Who  would  not  rather  be  Aristides  than  even 


1778.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  349 

William  the  Third  ?  Who !  Nobody  would  be  of  this 
mind  but  Aristides  and  Fabricius.  These  characters  are 
very  rare,  but  the  more  precious.  Nature  has  made  more 
insects  than  birds,  more  butterflies  than  eagles,  more  foxes 
than  lions,  more  pebbles  than  diamonds.  The  most  excel 
lent  of  her  productions,  both  in  the  physical,  intellectual,  and 
moral  world,  are  the  most  rare.  I  would  not  be  a  butterfly 
because  children  run  after  them,  nor  because  dull  philoso 
phers  boast  of  them  in  their  cabinets. 

Have  you  ever  read  J.  J.  Rousseau  ?  If  not,  read  him. 
Your  cousin  Smith  has  him.  What  a  difference  between 
him  and  Chesterfield  and  even  Voltaire.  But  he  was  too 
virtuous  for  the  age  and  for  Europe.1  I  wish  I  could  not 
say  for  another  country. 

I  am  much  disappointed  in  not  receiving  dispatches  from 
Congress  by  this  opportunity.  We  expect  alterations  in  the 
plan  here.  What  will  be  done  with  me  I  can't  conjecture. 
If  I  am  recalled,  I  will  endeavor  to  get  a  safe  opportunity 
home.  I  will  watch  the  proper  season,  and  look  out  for 
a  good  vessel ;  and  if  I  can  get  safe  to  Penn's  hill,  shall 
never  repent  of  niy  voyage  to  Europe,  because  I  have  gained 
an  insight  into  several  things  that  I  never  should  have  un 
derstood  without  it. 

I  pray  you  to  remember  me  with  every  sentiment  of 
tenderness,  duty,  and  affection  to  your  father  and  my  mother, 
your  and  my  brothers  and  sisters,  uncles,  aunts,  cousins,  and 
everybody  else  that  you  know  deserves  it.  What  shall  I 
say,  too,  of  my  dear  young  friends  by  your  fireside  ?  May 
God  Almighty  bless  them  and  make  them  wise ! 

4.1.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  27  December,  1778. 

MR.  GREENLEAF  is  about  to  set  off  towards  Nantes,  and 
from  thence  to  Boston. 

Last  night  I  walked  to  Paris  and  saw  the  illumination 
for  the  birth  of  the  princess  Maria  Theresa  Charlotte,  Fille 
du  Roi.  Splendid-  indeed !  My  little  friend,2  who  was  with 

1  Rousseau  had  not  yet  developed  himself  clearly  before  the  world,  or  before 
the  writer. 

2  His  son  JoLn. 


350  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

me,  will  write  you  a  description  of  it.  The  military 
schools,  the  hospital  of  invalids,  and  the  palace  of  Bour 
bon  were  beautiful  and  sublime  indeed ;  as  much  so  as 
an  illumination  can  be.  I  could  scarcely  have  conceived 
that  an  illumination  could  have  such  an  effect.  I  suppose 
the  expense  of  this  is  a«  million  of  livres.  As  much  as  I 
respect  this  country,  particularly  the  King  and  royal  family, 
I  could  not  help  reflecting  how  many  families  in  another 
country  would  this  tallow  make  happy  for  life ;  how  many 
privateers  would  this  tallow  fit  out  for  chasing  away  the 
Jersey-men  and  making  reprisals  on  Messieurs  les  Anglais. 
But  taste  will  have  its  way  in  this  country. 

The  Queen  and  her  illustrious  infant  are  very  well,  and 
this  nation  is  very  happy  to  have  discovered  a  way  by 
which  a  dauphin  may  come  to  them  next  year  or  the  year 
after.  The  King  and  Queen  are  greatly  beloved  here. 
Every  day  shows  fresh  proofs  of  it.  On  the  other  side  the 
channel  there  is  a  King  who  is  in  a  fair  way  to  be  the  ob 
ject  of  opposite  sentiments  to  a  nation,  if  he  is  not  at  pres 
ent.  If  Keppel  should  be  destroyed  in  life  or  reputation, 
I  shall  expect  to  hear  that  all  restraints  are  taken  off,  and 
passions  allowed  to  sport  themselves  without  reserve.  Kep 
pel  told  the  King  he  would  not  fight  against  America ;  an 
unpardonable  offense.  He  will  be  ruined  if  possible.  How 
ever,  I  think  that  Keppel  was  wrong  even  to  accept  a  com 
mand  against  the  French.  If  Britain  is  wrong  in  this  war 
against  America,  she  is  wrong  in  that  against  the  French, 
for  France  and  America  have  the  same  object  in  view,  and 
no  other.  France  is  right  if  America  is  right,  because 
France  only  assisted  the  American  cause,  for  which  John 
Bull  abused  and  fought  her.  But  John  will  come  off 
wretchedly.  He  will  be  beaten.  He  has  been  beaten. 
There  have  been  more  British  men-of-war  already  taken 
and  destroyed  than  they  lost  in  two  former  wars,  and  more 
sailors  prisoners. 

242.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Sunday  Evening,  27  December,  1778. 

How  lonely  are  my  days  !  how  solitary  are  my  nights  ! 
secluded  from  all  society  but  my  two  little  boys  and  my 


1778.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  351 

domestics.  By  the  mountains  of  snow  which  surround  me, 
I  could  almost  fancy  myself  in  Greenland.  We  have  had 
four  of  the  coldest  days  I  ever  knew,  and  they  were  fol 
lowed  by  the  severest,  snow-storm  I  ever  remember.  The 
wind,  blowing  like  a  hurricane  for  fifteen  or  twenty  hours, 
rendered  it  impossible  for  man  or  beast  to  live  abroad,  and 
has  blocked  up  the  roads  so  that  they  are  impassable.  A 
week. ago  I  parted  with  my  daughter,  at  the  request  of  our 
Plymouth  friends,  to  spend  a  month  with  them  ;  so  that  I 
am  solitary  indeed. 

Can  the  best  of  friends  recollect  that  for  fourteen  years 
past  I  have  not  spent  a  whole  winter  alone  ?  Some  part 
of  the  dismal  season  has  heretofore  been  mitigated  and  soft 
ened  by  the  social  converse  and  participation  of  the  friend 
of  my  youth. 

How  insupportable  the  idea  that  three  thousand  miles 
and  the  vast  ocean  now  divide  us  !  but  divide  only  our  per 
sons,  for  the  heart  of  my  friend  is  in  the  bosom  of  his  part 
ner.  More  than  half  a  score  of  years  has  so  riveted  it  there, 
that  the  fabric  which  contains  it  must  crumble  into  dust  ere 
the  particles  can  be  separated ;  for 

"  In  one  fate,  our  hearts,  our  fortunes, 
And  our  beings  blend." 

I  cannot  describe  to  you  how  much  I  was  affected  the 
other  day  with  a  Scotch  song,  which  was  sung  to  me  by  a 
young  lady  in  order  to  divert  a  melancholy  hour ;  but  it 
had  quite  a  different  effect,  and  the  native  simplicity  of  it 
had  all  the  power  of  a  well-wrought  tragedy.  When  I 
could  conquer  my  sensibility  I  begged  the  song,  and  Master 
Charles  has  learned  it,  and  consoles  his  mamma  by  sieg 
ing  it  to  her.  I  will  inclose  it  to  you.  It  has  beauties  in 
it  to  me  which  an  indifferent  person  would  not  feel,  per 
haps. 

"  His  very  foot  bas  music  in  't, 
As  he  comes  up  the  stairs." 

How  oft  has  my  heart  danced  to  the  sound  of  that  music ! 

"  And  shall  I  see  his  face  again  ? 
And  shall  I  hear  him  speak?  " 

Gracious  Heaven  !  hear  and  answer  my  daily  petition,  by 
banishing  all  my  grief. 


352  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December. 

I  am  sometimes  quite  discouraged  from  writing.  So 
many  vessels  are  taken  that  there  is  little  chance  of  a  let 
ter's  reaching  your  hands.  That  I  meet  with  so  few 
returns  is  a  circumstance  that  lies  heavy  at  my  heart.  If 
this  finds  its  way  to  you,  it  will  go  by  the.  Alliance.  By 
her  I  have  written  before.  She  has  not  yet  sailed,  and  I 
love  to  amuse  myself  with  my  pen,  and  pour  out  some  of 
the  tender  sentiments  of  a  heart  overflowing  with  affection, 
not  for  the  eye  of  a  cruel  enemy,  who,  no  doubt,  would 
ridicule  every  humane  and  social  sentiment,  long  ago  grown 
callous  to  the  finer  sensibilities,  but  for  the  sympathetic 
heart  that  beats  in  unison  with  PORTIA'S. 


243 

Passy,  30  December,  1778. 

WE  wait,  and  wait,  and  wait  forever,  without  any  news 
from  America.  We  get  nothing  but  what  comes  from  Eng 
land  and  to  other  people  here,  and  they  make  it  as  they 
please.  We  have  had  nothing  from  Congress  an  immense 
while.  Every  merchant  and  every  merchant's  apprentice 
has  letters  and  news  when  I  have  none.  In  truth,  I  have 
been  so  long  from  Boston  that  everybody  there,  almost,  has 
forgotten  me.  I  have  expected,  every  moment  for  almost 
two  months,  my  recall. 

Carlisle,  Cornwallis,  and  Eden  are  arrived  in  England, 
but  bring  no  good  news  for  the  English,  or  we  should  have 
had  it  in  the  "  Gazette."  The  two  houses  of  Parliament 
join  ministry  and  commissioners  in  threatening  fire  and 
sword.  They  seem  to  think  it  necessary  to  threaten  most 
when  they  can  do  least.  They,  however,  show  their  dispo 
sition,  which  they  will  indulge  and  gratify  if  they  can.  But 
be  not  dismayed.  They  can  do  no  great  things.  Patience, 
perseverance,  and  firmness  will  overcome  all  our  difficulties. 
Where  the  Comte  d'Estaing  is,  is  a  great  mystery.  The 
greater,  the  better.  The  English  fancy  he  is  returning  to 
Europe.  But  we  believe  he  is  gone  where  he  will  do 
something.  The  English  reproach  the  French  with  gas 
conade,  but  they  never  gasconaded  as  the  English  do  now. 
I  suppose  they  will  say  as  Burgoyne  did,  "  Speak  daggers 


1779.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  353 

but  use  none."  But  I  believe,  however,  that  they  and  he 
would  use  them  if  they  could.  Of  all  the  wrong  heads 
Johnstone  is  the  most  consummate.  The  Tories  at  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  have  filled  his  head  with  a  million 
lies.  He  seems  to  have  taken  a  New  York  newspaper  for 
holy  writ.  Parliament  is  adjourned  to  the  14th  January. 
Of  this  you  may  be  assured,  that  England  can  get  no  allies. 
The  new  secretary  at  war  makes  a  vast  parade  of  the  num 
ber  of  men  in  their  service  by  sea  and  land.  But  it  is  a 
mere  delusion.  They  intend  to  Byngify  Keppel  to  all  ap 
pearance  ;  but  killing  him  will  not  mend  rotten  ships  nor 
make  sailors. 

I  dined  to-day  at  the  Duchess  d'Enville's.  When  I 
saw  the  companies  of  militia  on  their  march  to  fight  her 
husband,1  I  did  not  expect  this.  Did  you  ? 

Passy,  1  January,  1779. 

I  WISH  you  a  happy  new  year  and  many  happy  years, 
and  all  the  blessings  of  life.  Who  knows  but  this  year 
may  be  more  prosperous  for  our  country  than  any  we  have 
seen  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  have  hopes  that  it  will.  Great 
blessings  are  in  store  for  it,  and  they  may  come  this  year 
as  well  as  another.  You  and  I,  however,  must  prepare  our 
minds  to  enjoy  the  prosperity  of  others,  not  oar  own.  In 
poverty  and  simplicity  we  shall  be  happy,  whenever  our 
country  is  so.  Johnny  sends  duty.  Mr.  Williams  waits. 
I  knew  of  his  going  but  this  moment.  I  think  I  shall  see 
you  this  year  in  spite  of  British  men-of-war.  If  it  should 
be  otherwise  ordered,  however,  we  must  submit. 

-  "244.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  9  February,  1779. 

IT  is  now  a  year,  within  a  day  or  two,  of  my  departure 
from  home.  It  is  in  vain  for  me  to  think  of  writing  of 
what  is  passed.  The  character  and  situation  in  which  I  am 
here,  and  the  situation  of  public  affairs,  absolutely  forbid 

1  The  expedition  fitted  out  by  France  in  1746,  to  go  to  America,  was  com 
manded  by  the  Due  d'Enville.       The  alarm  which  it  caused  in  Boston  is  men 
tioned  by  Hutchiuson. 
23 


354  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  February, 

my  writing  freely.  I  must  be  excused.  So  many  vessels 
are  taken,  and  there,are  so  many  persons  indiscreet  and  so 
many  others  inquisitive,  that  I  may  not  write.  God  knows 
how  much  I  suffer  for  want  of  writing  to  you.  It  used  to 
be  a  cordial  to  my  spirits. 

Thus  much  I  can  say  with  perfect  sincerity,  that  I  have 
found  nothing  to  disgust  me,  or  in  any  manner  disturb  me, 
in  the  French  nation.  My  evils  here  arise  altogether  from 
Americans.  If  I  would  have  enlisted  myself  under  the 
banner  of  either  party,1  I  might  have  filled  America,  I 
doubt  not,  with  panegyrics  of  me  from  one  party  and 
curses  and  slanders  from  another.  I  have  endeavored  to 
be  hitherto  impartial,  to  search  for  nothing  but  the  truth, 
and  to  love  nobody  and  nothing  but  the  public  good,  at 
least  not  more  than  the  public  good.  I  have  hoped  that 
animosities  might  be  softened,  and  the  still  small  voice  of 
reason  heard  more  and  the  boisterous  roar  of  passions  and 
prejudices  less.  But  the  publication  of  a  certain  address  2 
to  the  people  has  destroyed  all  such  hopes.  Nothing 
remains  now  but  the  fearful  looking  for  of  the  fiery  indig 
nation  of  the  monster  party,  here. 

My  consolation  is  that  the  partisans  are  no  more  than 

"  Bubbles  on  the  sea  of  matter  borne  ; 
They  rise,  they  break,  and  to  that  sea  return." 

The  people  of  America,  I  know,  stand  like  Mount  Atlas ; 
but  these  altercations  occasion  a  great  deal  of  unhappiness 
for  the  present,  and  they  prolong  the  war.  Those  must 
answer  for  it  who  are  guilty.  I  am  not. 

245.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  13  February,  1779. 

YOURS  of  loth  December  was  sent  me  yesterday  by 
the  Marquis,  whose  praises  are  celebrated  in  all  the  letters 
from  America.  You  must  be  content  to  receive  a  short 
letter,  because  I  have  not  time  now  to  write  a  long  one.  I 
have  lost  many  of  your  letters,  which  are  invaluable  to  me, 

1  The  party  of  Silas  Deane  and  Dr.  Franklin  on  the  one  side,  and  of  Arthur 
Lee  and  Kalph  Izard  on  the  other. 

2  By  Silas  Deane,  who  had  returned  to  America. 


1779.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  355 

and  you  have  lost  a  vast  number  of  mine.     Barnes,  Niles, 
and  many  other  vessels  are  lost.  * 

I  have  received  intelligence  much  more  agreeable  than 
that  of  a  removal  to  Holland  ;  I  mean  that  of  being  re 
duced  to  a  private  citizen,  wFiich  gives  me  more  pleasure 
than  you  can  imagine.  I  shall  therefore  soon  present  be 
fore  you  your  own  good  man.  Happy,  happy  indeed  shall 
I  be,  once  more  to  see  our  fireside.  I  have  written  before 
to  Mrs.  Warren,  and  shall  write  again  now.  Dr.  J.  is  tran 
scribing  your  Scotch  song,  which  is  a  charming  one.  Oh, 
my  leaping  heart ! 

I  must  not  write  a  word  to  you  about  politics,  because 
you  are  a  woman. 

What  an  offense  have  I  committed !     A  woman  ! 

I  shall  soon  make  it  up.  1  think  women  better  than 
men,  in  general,  and  I  know  that  you  can  keep  a  secret  as 
well  as  any  man  whatever.  But  the  world  don't  know  this. 
Therefore  if  I  were  to  write  my  sentiments  to  you,  and  the 
letter  should  be  caught  and  hitched  into  a  newspaper,  the 
world  would  say  I  was  not  to  be  trusted  with  a  secret. 

I  never  had  so  much  trouble  in  my  life  as  here,  and  yet 
I  grow  fat.  The  climate  and  soil  agree  with  me.  So  do 
the  cookery  and  even  the  manners  of  the  people,  of  those 
of  them  at  least  that  I  converse  with,  churlish  republican  as 
some  of  you  on  your  side  the  water  call  me.  The  English 
have  got  at  me  in  their  newspapers.  They  make  fine  work 
of  me  —  fanatic,  bigot,  perfect  cipher,  not  one  word  of  the 
language,  awkward  figure,  uncouth  dress,  no  address,  no  char 
acter,  cunning,  hard-hearted  attorney.  But  the  falsest  of  it 
all  is,  that  I  am  disgusted  with  the  Parisians  ;  whereas  I 
admire  the  Parisians  prodigiously.  They  are  the  happiest 
people  in  the  world,  I  believe,  and  have  the  best  disposition 
to  make  others  so.  If  I  had  your  ladyship  and  our  little 
folks  here,  and  no  politics  to  plague  me,  and  a  hundred 
thousand  livres  a  year  rent,  I  should  be  the  happiest  being 
on  earth.  Nay,  I  believe  I  could  make  it  do  with  twenty 
thousand. 

One  word  of  politics.  The  English  reproach  the  French 
with  gasconade,  but  I  don't  believe  their  whole  history  could 


356  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

produce  so  much  of  it  as  the  English  have  practiced  this 
war.  The  commissioners'  proclamation,  with  its  sanction 
from  the  ministry  and  ratification  by  both  houses,  I  suppose 
is  hereafter  to  be  interpreted  like  Burgoyne's  "•  Speaking 
daggers  but  using  none."  They  cannot  send  any  consider 
able  reinforcement,  nor  get  an  ally  in  Europe.  This  I 
think  you  may  depend  upon.  Their  artifice  in  throwing 
out  such  extravagant  threats  was  so  gross  that  I  presume 
it  has  not  imposed  on  any.  Yet  a  nation  that  regarded  its 
character  never  could  have  threatened  in  that  manner. 
Adieu. 

246.  JOHN  A^AMS. 

Passy,  20  February,  1779. 

A  NEW  commission  has  arrived  by  which  the  Dr.1  is  sole 
minister.  Mr.  Lee  continues  commissioner  for  Spain,  but 
I  am  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  private  citizen.  The 
Congress  have  not  taken  the  least  notice  of  me.  On  the 
llth  of  September  they  resolved  to  have  one  minister  only 
in  France.  On  the  14th  they  chose  the  Dr.  In  October 
they  made  out  his  commission,  the  Alliance  sailed  on  the 
14th  January,  and  in  all  that  interval  they  never  so  much  as 
bid  me  come  home,  bid  me  stay,  or  told  me  I  had  done  well 
or  done  ill.  Considering  the  accusation  against  Mr.  Lee,2 
how  unexpected  it  was  and  how  groundless  it  is,  I  should 
not  be  at  all  surprised  if  I  should  see  an  accusation  against 
me  for  something  or  other,  I  know  not  what,  but  I  see  that 
all  things  are  possible. 

Of  all  the  scenes  I  ever  passed  through,  this  is  the  most 
extraordinary.  The  delirium  among  Americans  here  is 
the  most  extravagant.  All  the  infernal  arts  of  stock-job 
bers,  all  the  voracious  avarice  of  merchants,  have  mingled 
themselves  with  American  politics  here,  disturbed  their 
operations,  distracted  our  counsels,  and  turned  our  heads. 

The  Congress,  I  presume,  expect  that  I  should  come 
home,  and  I  shall  come  accordingly.  As  they  have  no  busi 
ness  for  me  in  Europe,  I  must  contrive  to  get  some  for  myself 
*t  home.  Prepare  yourself  for  removing  to  Boston,  into 
1  Franklin.  2  Made  by  Silas  Deane  to  Congress. 


1779.1  JOHN  ADAMS.  357 

the  old  house,  for  there  you  shall  go,  and  there  I  will  draw 
writs  and  deeds,  and  harangue  juries,  and  be  happy. 

247.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  20  February,  1779. 

IN  the  margin1  are  the  dates  of  all  the  letters  I  have 
received  frotn  you.  I  have  written  you  several  times  that 
number.  They  are  almost  all  lost,  I  suppose  by  yours.  But 
you  should  consider  it  is  a  different  thing  to  have  five  hun 
dred  correspondents  and  but  one.  It  is  a  different  thing  to 
be  under  an  absolute  restraint  and  under  none.  It  would 
be  an  easy  thing  for  me  to  ruin  you  and  your  children  by  an 
indiscreet  letter,  and  what  is  more,  it  would  be  easy  to 
throw  our  country  into  convulsions.  For  God's  sake  never 
reproach  me  again  with  not  writing  or  with  writing  scrips. 
Your  wounds  are  too  deep.  You  know  not,  you  feel  not, 
the  dangers  that  surround  me  nor  those  that  may  be  brought 
upon  our  country.  Millions  would  not  tempt  me  to  write 
you  as  I  used.  I  have  no  security  that  every  letter  I  write 
you  will  not  be  broken  open,  and  copied,  and  transmitted 
to  Congress  and  to  English  newspapers.  They  would  find 
no  treason  nor  deceit  in  them,  it  is  true,  but  they  would  find 
weakness  and  indiscretion,  which  they  would  make  as  ill  a 
use  of. 

There  are  spies  upon  every  word  I  utter,  and  every  syl 
lable  I  write.  Spies  planted  by  the  English,  spies  planted 
by  stock-jobbers,  spies  planted  by  selfish  merchants,  and 
spies  planted  by  envious  and  malicious  politicians.  I  have 
been  all  along  aware  of  this,  more  or  less,  but  more  so  now 
than  ever.  My  life  has  been  often  in  danger,  but  I  never 
considered  my  reputation  and  character  so  much  in  danger 
as  now.  I  can  pass  for  a  fool,  but  I  will  not  pass  for  a  dis 
honest  or  mercenary  man.  Be  upon  your  guard,  there 
fore.  I  must  be  upon  mine,  and  I  will. 

1  25  March.  18  May.  10,  18  June.  10,  21,  25  October.  2,  15  Decein 
her,  1778.  2,  4  January,  1779.  Many  of  these  are  missing. 


358  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

248.   JOHN  AJ>A:MS. 

Passy,  21  February,  1779. 

YOURS  by  Mr.  Williams  I  have  received.  The  little 
bill  must  be  paid,  but  I  confess  it  alarms  me  a  little.  The 
expense  of  my  son  here  is  greater  than  I  ever  imagined. 
Although  his  company  is  almost  all  the  pleasure  I  have  in 
life,  yet  I  should  not  have  brought  him  if  I  had  known  the 
expense.  His  expenses,  together  with  what  you  have 
drawn  for,  and  a  little  collection  of  books  I  have  bought, 
will  amount  to  more  than  will  ever  be  allowed  me.  My 
accounts  must  not  be  drawn  into  intricacy  or  obscurity.  I 
must  not  be  involved  in  suspicions  of  meddling  in  trade  or 
anything  else  but  my  proper  business. 

You  complain  that  I  don't  write  often  enough,  and  that 
when  I  do,  my  letters  are  too  short.  If  I  were  to  tell  you 
all  the  tenderness  of  my  heart,  I  should  do  nothing  but 
write  to  you.  I  beg  of  you  not  to  be  uneasy.  I  write  you 
as  often  and  as  much  as  I  ought.  If  I  had  a  heart  at  ease, 
and  leisure  enough,  I  could  write  you  several  sheets  a  day, 
of  the  curiosities  of  this  country.  But  it  is  as  much  im 
possible  for  me  to  think  of  such  subjects  as  to  work  mira 
cles.  Let  me  entreat  you  to  consider,  if  some  of  your  let 
ters  had  by  any  accident  been  taken,  what  a  figure  would 
they  have  made  in  a  newspaper,  to  be  read  by  the  whole 
world  ?  Some  of  them,  it  is  true,  would  have  done  honor 
to  the  most  virtuous  and  most  accomplished  Roman  matron ; 
but  others  of  them  would  have  made  you  and  me  very 
ridiculous.  In  one  of  yours  you  hint  that  I  am  to  go  to 
Holland.  But  I  think  you  must  be  misinformed.  By  all 
that  I  can  learn,  some  gentlemen  intend  to  vote  for  me  to 
Holland  vs.  Mr.  Deane  ;  others  to  Spain  vs.  Mr.  Lee. 
Neither,  I  think,  will  succeed ;  and  therefore  I  think  I 
have  but  one  course  to  steer,  and  that  is,  homewards.  But 
I  can  determine  nothing  absolutely.  I  must  govern  myself 
according  to  the  intelligence  which  may  hereafter  arise,  the 
orders  of  Congress,  and  the  best  judgment  I  can  form  of 
my  own  duty  and  the  public  good. 

I  am  advised  to  take  a  ride  to  Geneva,  or  to  Amster 
dam  ;  and  I  have  been  so  confined  from  exercise,  having 


1779.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  359 

never  been  farther  from  Paris  than  Versailles  since  my 
arrival  here,  that  some  such  excursion  seems  necessary  for 
my  health  ;  yet  I  cannot  well  bear  the  thought  of  putting 
the  public  to  an  expense  merely  for  the  sake  of  my  pleas 
ure,  health,  or  convenience.  Yet  my  situation  here  is  pain 
ful.  I  never  was  in  such  a  situation  before  as  I  am  now, 
and  my  present  feelings  are  new  to  me.  If  I  should  re 
turn,  and  in  my  absence  any  orders  should  arrive  here  for 
me  to  execute,  in  that  case  nobody  would  be  here  to  exe 
cute  them,  and  they  might  possrbly  fail  of  success  for  want 
of  somebody  with  power  to  perform  them  ;  at  least,  this 
may  be  suspected  and  said  and  believed.  However,  upon 
the  whole,  as  Congress  have  said  nothing  to  me,  good  or 
bad,  I  have  no  right  to  presume  that  they  mean  to  say  any 
thing,  and  therefore,  on  the  whole,  it  is  my  duty  to  return 
by  the  first  opportunity,  unless  I  should  receive  counter 
orders  before  that  occurs.  If  ever  the  time  should  arrive 
when  I  could  have  a  little  leisure  and  a  quiet  mind,  I  could 
entertain  you  with  accounts  of  things  which  would  amuse 
you  and  your  children.  There  are  an  infinity  of  curiosities 
here,  but  so  far  from  having  leisure  to  describe  them,  I 
have  found  none  even  to  see  them,  except  a  very  few. 

The  climate  here  is  charming.  The  weather  is  every 
day  pleasant  as  the  month  of  May ;  soft,  mild  air ;  some 
foggy  days,  and  about  ten  or  twelve  days  in  January  were 
cold  and  icy.  But  we  have  had  scarce  three  inches  of  snow 
the  whole  winter.  The  climate  is  more  favorable  to  my 
constitution  than  ours.  The  cookery  and  manner  of  living 
here,  which  you  know  Americans  were  taught  by  their 
former  absurd  masters  to  dislike,  is  more  agreeable  to  me 
than  you  can  imagine.  The  manners  of  the  people  have 
an  affection  in  them  that  is  very  amiable.  There  is  such 
a  choice  of  elegant  entertainments  in  the  theatric  way,  of 
good  company,  and  excellent  books,  that  nothing  would  be 
wanting  to  me  in  this  country  but  my  family  and  peace  to 
my  country,  to  make  me  one  of  -the  happiest  of  men.  John 
Bull  would  growl  and  bellow  at  this  description.  Let  him 
bellow  if  he  will,  for  he  is  but  a  brute. 


360  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [March, 

249.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Passy,  27  February,  1779. 

THE  weather  continuing  fine,  I  went  to  Saint  Denis,  a 
little  village  about  eight  miles  from  this  place,  where  are 
the  tombs  of  all  the  kings  and  queens.  The  statues  of  all 
lie  in  state  in  marble.  The  church  is  called  the  royal 
Church  of  Saint  Denis,  is  magnificent,  and  there  is  an 
apartment  in  a  chamber,  where  the  crowns  and  many 
other  curiosities  are  preserved.  It  is  curious  to  see  such 
a  collection  of  gold,  ivory,  and  precious  stones,  as  there 
is  every  species,  I  suppose,  that  is  mentioned  in  the  Rev 
elation.  The  diamonds  and  rubies  glitter.  But  I  confess 
I  have  so  much  of  the  savage  sachem  in  me  that  these 
things  make  no  great  impression  upon  me.  There  are  sev 
eral  little  crucifixes  here,  which  the  ecclesiastic  who  showed 
them  told  us  were  made  of  bits  of  the  true  cross.  This 
may  be,  for  anything  that  I  know. 

In  my  return,  I  took  a  circuit  round  by  Montmartre, 
and  dined  at  home  with  the  Dr.,1  who  has  a  fit  of  the  gout, 
but  is  getting  better. 

The  situation  in  which  my  masters  have  left  me  puzzles 
me  very  much.  They  have  said  nothing  to  me.  But  one 
set  of  gentlemen  write  that  I  am  to  go  to  Spain,  another 
to  Holland,  a  third  to  Vienna ;  upon  the  whole,  I  be 
lieve  they  don't  intend  to  send  me  to  either,  but  leave  me 
to  stay  here  in  a  ridiculous  situation,  or  return  home  if  I 
can  get  there.  I  shall  return  unless  I  should  receive,  be 
fore  the  time  arrives  for  the  vessel  to  sail,  orders  which  I 
can  execute  with  honor  and  with  a  prospect  of  rendering 
some  service  to  the  public.  But  of  these  two  last  points  I 
will  judge  for  myself. 

250.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

20  March,  1779. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Your  favor  of  December  9th 
came  to  hand  this  evening  from  Philadelphia.  By  the 
same  post  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Lovell,  transcrib 
ing  some  passages  from  one  of  the  same  date  to  him,  and 

1  Franklin. 


1779.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  361 

the  only  one,  he  says,  which  he  has  received  since  your 
absence,  and  his  pocket-book  proves  that  he  has  written 
eighteen  different  times  ;  yet  possibly  you  may  have  re 
ceived  as  few  from  him.  The  watery  world  alone  can 
boast  of  large  packets  received,  —  a  discouraging  thought 
when  I  take  my  pen.  Yet  I  will  not  be  discouraged.  I 
will  persist  in  writing,  though  but  one  in  ten  should  reach 
you.  I  have  been  impatient  for  an  opportunity,  none  hav 
ing  offered  since  January,  when  the  Alliance  sailed,  which, 
my  presaging  mind  assures  me,  will  arrive  safe  in  France, 
and  I  hope  will  return  as  safely. 

Accept  my  thanks  for  the  care  you  take  of  me,  in  so 
kindly  providing  for  me  the  articles  you  mention.  Should 
they  arrive  safe,  they  will  be  a  great  assistance  to  me. 
The  safest  way,  you  tell  me,  of  supplying  my  wants  is  by 
drafts  ;  but  I  cannot  get  hard  money  for  bills.  You  had 
as  good  tell  me  to  procure  diamonds  for  them ;  and,  when 
bills  will  fetch  but  five  for  one,  hard  money  will  exchange 
ten,  which  I  think  is  very  provoking ;  and  I  must  give  at 
the  rate  of  ten,  and  sometimes  twenty,  for  one,  for  every 
article  I  purchase.  I  blush  whilst  I  give  you  a  price  cur 
rent  :  all  butcher's  meat  from  a  dollar  to  eight  shillings 
per  pound;  com  twenty-five  dollars,  rye  thirty,  per  bushel; 
flour  fifty  pounds  per  hundred ;  potatoes  ten  dollars  per 
bushel;  butter  twelve  shillings  a  pound,  cheese  eight;  sugar 
twelve  shillings  a  pound  ;  molasses  twelve  dollars  per  gal 
lon  ;  labor  six  and  eight  dollars  a  day ;  a  common  cow 
from  sixty  to  seventy  pounds  ;  and  all  English  goods  in 
proportion.  This  is  our  present  situation.  It  is  a  risk  to 
send  me  anything  across  the  water,  I  know ;  yet  if  one  in 
three  arrives,  I  should  be  a  gainer.  I  have  studied,  and  do 
study,  every  method  of  economy  in  my  power ;  otherwise 
a  mint  of  money  would  not  support  a  family.  I  could  not 
board  our  two  sons  under  forty  dollars  per  week  apiece  at 
a  school.  I  therefore  thought  it  most  prudent  to  request 
Mr.  Thaxter  to  look  after  them,  giving  him  his  board  and 
the  use  of  the  oifice,  which  he  readily  accepted,  and,  having 
passed  the  winter  with  me,  will  continue  through  the  sum 
mer,  as  I  see  no  probability  of  the  times  speedily  growing 
better. 


862  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [April, 

We  have  had  much  talk  of  peace  through  the  mediation 
of  Spain,  and  great  news  from  Spain,  and  a  thousand 
reports,  as  various  as  the  persons  who  tell  them.  Yet  I 
believe  slowly,  and  rely  more  upon  the  information  of  my 
friend  than  on  all  the  whole  legion  of  stories  which  rise 
with  the  sun,  and  set  as  soon.  Respecting  Georgia,1  other 
friends  have  written  you.  I  shall  add  nothing  of  my  own, 
but  that  I  believe  it  will  finally  be  a  fortunate  event  to  us. 

Our  vessels  have  been  fortunate  in  making  prizes,  though 
many  were  taken  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  We  have  been 
greatly  distressed  for  [want  of]  grain.  I  scarcely  know 
the  looks  or  taste  of  biscuit  or  flour  for  this  four  months  ; 
yet  thousands  have  been  much  worse  off,  having  no  grain 
of  any  sort. 

The  great  commotion  raised  here  by  Mr.  Deane  has  sunk 
into  contempt  for  his  character  ;  and  it  would  be  better  for 
him  to  leave  a  country  which  is  now  supposed  to  have  been 
injured  by  him.  His  friends  are  silent,  not  knowing  how 
to  extricate  him.  It  would  be  happy  for  him  if  he  had  the 
art  himself.  He  most  certainly  had  art  enough,  in  the 
beginning,  to  blow  up  a  flame,  and  to  set  the  whole  conti 
nent  in  agitation. 

23  April. 

More  than  a  month  has  passed  away  since  writing  the 
above,  and  no  opportunity  has  yet  offered  of  conveying  you 
a  line  ;  next  to  the  pain  of  not  receiving  is  that  of  not  being 
able  to  send  a  token  of  remembrance  and  affection.  (You 
must  excuse  my  not  copying,  as  paper  is  ten  dollars  per 
quire.)  Last  week  a  packet  arrived  from  Brest  with 
dispatches  for  Congress,  but  no  private  letters.  I  was  dis 
appointed,  but  did  not  complain.  You  would  have  written, 
I  know,  had  you  supposed  she  was  coming  to  Boston.  By 
her  we  heard  of  the  safe  arrival  of  the  Alliance  in  France, 
which  gave  me  much  pleasure.  May  she  have  as  safe  a 
return  to  us  again.  Last  week,  arrived  here  the  frigate 
Warren,  after  a  successful  cruise.  She  had  been  out  about 
six  weeks,  in  company  with  the  Queen  of  France,  and  the 

1  This  alludes  to  the  movements  made  under  the  direction  of  General  Prevost 
for  the  subjection  of  that  colony. 


1779,]  JOHN  ADAMS.  363 

Ranger,  Captain  Jones.  They  fell  in  with  and  captured  a 
fleet  bound  from  New  York  to  Georgia,  consisting  of  ship 
Jason,  twenty  guns  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  ;  ship 
Maria,  sixteen  guns,  eighty-four  men,  having  on  board 
eighteen  hundred  barrels  of  flour  ;  privateer  schooner  Hiber 
nian,  eight  guns  and  forty-five  men  ;  brigs  Patriot,  Prince 
Frederick,  Bachelor  John,  and  schooner  Chance;  all  of 
which  are  safe  arrived,  to  the  universal  joy  and  satisfaction 
of  every  well-wisher  of  his  country.  The  officers  who 
were  captured  acknowledge  that  this  loss  will  be  severely 
felt  by  the  enemy,  and  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  give  General 
Lincoln  important  advantages  over  him  in  Georgia. 

Respecting  domestic  affairs,  I  shall  do  tolerably  whilst 
my  credit  is  well  supported  abroad  ;  and  my  demands  there 
shall  be  as  small  as  possible,  considering  the  state  of  things 
here  ;  but  I  cannot  purchase  a  bushel  of  grain  under  three 
hard  dollars,  though  the  scarcity  of  that  article  makes  it 
dearer  than  other  things.  Our  friends  here  all  desire  to  be 
remembered  to  you.  I  remind  your  daughter  to  write  arid 
she  promises  to,  but  she  does  not  love  it.  Charley  is  very 
busy  gardening,  sends  his  duty,  and  hopes  to  write  soon. 
My  pen  is  very  bad,  but  you  are  so  used  to  the  hand  you 
can  pick  it  out,  and  if  it  goes  into  the  sea,  it  is  no  matter. 
I  should  be  very  glad  of  some  woolens  by  the  Alliance,  for 
winter  gowns  ;  nothing  will  be  amiss,  unless  it  be  men's 
white  silk  stockings,  which  I  have  no  occasion  for.  I  sup 
pose  the  pair  sent  among  the  letters  which  came  in  the 
Mifflln,  an  accident. 

My  pen  is  really  so  bad  that  I  cannot  add  any  further 
than  that  I  am  whoJiT  Yours. 


251.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

L'Orient,  14  May,  1779. 

WHEN  I  left  Paris,  the  8th  of  March,  I  expected  to 
have  been  at  home  before  this  day,  and  have  done  my 
utmost  to  get  to  sea,  but  the  embarrassments  and  disappoint 
ments  I  have  met  with  have  been  many,  very  many.  I 
have,  however,  in  the  course  of  them,  had  a  fine  opportu 
nity  of  seeing  Nantes,  L'Orient,  and  Brest,  as  well  as  the 
intermediate  country. 


364  FAMILIAR  LETTERS,  [June, 

By  the  gracious  invitation  of  the  King,  I  am  now  to  take 
passage  in  his  frigate,  the  Sensible,  with  his  new  Ambassa 
dor  to  America,  the  Chevalier  de  la  Luzerne.  I  hope  to 
see  you  in  six  or  seven  weeks.  Never  was  any  man  in 
such  a  state  of  uncertainty  and  suspense  as  I  have  been 
from  last  October,  entirely  uninformed  of  the  intentions  of 
Congress  concerning  me.  This  would  not  have  been  very 
painful  to  me  if  I  could  have  got  home.  Your  conversa 
tion  is  a  compensation  to  me  for  all  other  things. 

My  son  has  had  a  great  opportunity  to  see  this  country ; 
but  this  has  unavoidably  retarded  his  education  in  some 
other  things.  He  has  enjoyed  perfect  health,  from  first  to 
last,  and  is  respected  wherever  he  goes,  for  his  vigor  and 
vivacity  both  of  mind  and  body,  for  his  constant  good 
humor,  and  for  his  rapid  progress  in  French  as  well  as  his 
general  knowledge,  which,  for  his  age,  is  uncommon.  I 
long  to  see  his  sister  and  brothers.  I  need  not  add  — 

252.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

8  June,  1779. 

Six  months  have  already  elapsed  since  I  heard  a  syllable 
from  you  or  my  dear  son,  and  five  since  I  have  had  one 
single  opportunity  of  conveying  a  line  to  you.  Letters  of 
various  dates  have  lain  months  at  the  Navy  Board,  and  a 
packet  and  frigate,  both  ready  to  sail  at  an  hour's  warning, 
have  been  months  waiting  the  orders  of  Congress.  They 
no  doubt  have  their  reasons,  or  ought  to  have,  for  detaining 
them.  I  must  patiently  wait  their  motions,  however  pain 
ful  it  is  ;  and  that  it  is  so,  your  own  feelings  will  testify. 
Yet  I  know  not  but  you  are  less  a  sufferer  than  you  would 
be  to  hear  from  us,  to  know  our  distresses,  and  yet  be  un 
able  to  relieve  them.  The  universal  cry  for  bread,  to  a 
humane  heart,  is  painful  beyond  description,  and  the  great 
price  demanded  and  given  for  it  verifies  that  pathetic  pas 
sage  of  Sacred  Writ,  "  All  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for 
his  life."  Yet  He  who  miraculously  fed  a  multitude  with 
five  loaves  and  two  fishes  has  graciously  interposed  in  our 
favor,  and  delivered  many  of  the  enemy's  supplies  into  our 
bauds,  so  that  our  distresses  have  been  mitigated.  I  have 


1779.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  365 

been  able  as  yet  to  supply  my  own  family,  sparingly,  but 
at  a  price  that  would  astonish  you.  Corn  is  sold  at  four 
dollars,  hard  money,  per  bushel,  which  is  equal  to  eighty 
at  the  rate  of  exchange. 

Labor  is  at  eight  dollars  per  day,  and  in  three  weeks  it 
will  be  at  twelve,  it  is  probable,  or  it  will  be  more  stable 
than  anything  else.  Goods  of  all  kinds  are  at  such  a  price 
that  I  hardly  dare  mention  it.  Linens  are  sold  at  twenty 
dollars  per  yard  ;  the  most  ordinary  sort  of  calicoes  at 
thirty  and  forty  ;  broadcloths  at  forty  pounds  per  yard  ; 
West  India  goods  full  as  high  ;  molasses  at  twenty  dollars 
per  gallon  ;  sugar  four  dollars  per  pound  ;  bohea  tea  at 
forty  dollars  ;  and  our  own  produce  in  proportion  ;  butcher's 
meat  at  six  and  eight  shillings  per  pound  ;  board  at  fifty 
and  sixty  dollars  per  week  ;  rates  high.  That,  I  suppose, 
you  will  rejoice  at ;  so  would  I,  did  it  remedy  the  evil. 
I  pay  five  hundred  dollars,  and  a  new  Continental  rate  has 
just  appeared,  my  proportion  of  which  will  be  two  hundred 
more.  I  have  come  to  this  determination,  to  sell  no  more 
bills,  unless  I  can  procure  hard  money  for  them,  although 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  allow  a  discount.  If  I  sell  for  paper, 
I  throw  away  more  than  half,  so  rapid  is  the  depreciation  ; 
nor  do  I  know  that  it  will  be  received  long.  I  sold  a  bill 
to  Blodget  at  five  for  one,  which  was  looked  upon  as  high 
at  that  time.  The  week  after  I  received  it,  two  emissions 
were  taken  out  of  circulation,  and  the  greater  part  of  what 
I  had  proved  to  be  of  that  sort ;  so  that  those  to  whom  I 
was  indebted  are  obliged  to  wait,  and  before  it  becomes 
due,  or  is  exchanged,  it  will  be  good  for  —  as  much  as  it 
will  fetch,  which  will  be  nothing,  if  it  goes  on  as  it  has 
done  for  this  three  months  past.  I  will  not  tire  your 
patience  any  longer.  I  have  not  drawn  any  further  upon 
you.  I  mean  to  wait  the  return  of  the  Alliance,  which 
with  longing  eyes  I  look  for.  God  grant  it  may  bring  me 
comfortable  tidings  from  my  dear,  dear  friend,  whose  wel 
fare  is  so  essential  to  my  happiness  that  it  is  entwined 
around  my  heart  and  cannot  be  impaired  or  separated  from 
it  without  rending  it  asunder. 

In    contemplation    of    my    situation,    I    am    sometimes 


366  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

thrown  into  an  agony  of  distress.  Distance,  dangers,  and 
oh,  I  cannot  name  all  the  fears  which  sometimes  oppress 
me,  and  harrow  up  my  soul.  Yet  must  the  common  lot  of 
man  one  day  take  place,  whether  we  dwell  in  our  own  native 
laud  or  are  far  distant  from  it.  That  we  rest  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Almighty  is  the  consolation  to  which  I  re 
sort,  and  find  that  comfort  which  the  world  cannot  give. 
If  He  sees  best  to  give  me  back  my  friend,  or  to  preserve 
my  life  to  him,  it  will  be  so. 

Our  worthy  friend,  Dr.  Winthrop,1  is  numbered  with  the 
great  congregation,  to  the  inexpressible  loss  of  Harvard 
College. 

"  Let  no  weak  drop 

Be  shed  for  him.     The  virgin,  in  her  bloom 
Cut  off,  the  joyous  youth,  and  darling  child, 
These  are  the  tombs  that  claim  the  tender  tear    • 
And  elegiac  song.     But  Winthrop  calls 
For  other  notes  of  gratulation  high, 
That  now  he  wanders  through  those  endless  worlds 
He  here  so  well  descried,  and  wondering  talks, 
And  hymns  their  Author  with  his  glad  compeers." 

The  testimony  he  gave  with  his  dying  breath,  in  favor 
of  revealed  religion,  does  honor  to  his  memory  and  will 
endear  it  to  every  lover  of  virtue.  I  know  not  who  will 
be  found  worthy  to  succeed  him. 

Congress  have  not  yet  made  any  appointment  of  you  to 
any  other  Court.  There  appears  a  dilatoriness,  an  indecis 
ion,  in  their  proceedings.  I  have  in  Mr.  Lovell  an  atten 
tive  friend,  who  kindly  informs  me  of  everything  which 
passes  relative  to  you  and  your  situation,  and  gives  me  ex 
tracts  of  your  letters  both  to  himself  and  others.  I  know 
you  will  be  unhappy  whenever  it  is  not  in  your  power  to 
serve  your  country,  and  wish  yourself  at  home,  where  at 
least  you  might  serve  your  family.  T  cannot  say  that  I 
think  our  affairs  go  very  well  here.  Our  currency  seems 
to  be  the  source  of  all  our  evils.  We  cannot  fill  up  our 
Continental  army  by  means  of  it.  No  bounty  will  pre 
vail  with  them.  What  can  be  done  with  it  ?  It  will  sink 
in  less  than  a  year.  The  advantage  the  enemy  daily  gains 
over  us  is  owing  to  this.  Most  truly  did  you  prophesy, 
i  Professor  John  Winthrop,  died  on  the  3d  of  May  preceding. 


1779.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  367 

when  you  said  that  they  would  do  all  the  mischief  in  their 
power  with  the  forces  they  had  here. 

Many  letters  are  lying  in  Boston  for  you,  which  have 
been  written  months.  My  good  uncle  Smith  yesterday  let 
me  know  that  a  letter  of  marque,  bound  for  Nantes,  would 
sail  in  a  day  or  two.  I  eagerly  seized  the  opportunity, 
and  beg  you  to  give  my  blessing  to  my  son,  to  whom  1 
have  not  time  now  to  write.  I  dare  not  trust  myself  with 
the  idea,  nor  can  express  how  ardently  I  long  to  see  both 
parent  and  son.  Our  whole  family  has  enjoyed  great 
health  in  your  absence ;  daughter  and  sons,  who  delight  in 
talking  of  papa  and  brother,  present  their  duty  and  love. 
I  shall  not  write  for  anything  until  the  Alliance  returns, 
and  I  find  what  success  she  has  had. 

My  tenderest  regards  ever  attend  you.  In  all  places 
and  situations,  know  me  to  be  ever,  ever  yours. 

253.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Boston,  13  November,  1779. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  just  sent  Mr.  Thax- 
ter,  Johnny,  and  Stevens,  with  the  things,  on  board.  I  shall 
go  with  Charles  at  four  o'clock.  It  is  now  three.  I  have 
seen  the  captain  and  the  navy  board,  etc.  It  is  proposed 
to  sail  to-morrow  ;  perhaps,  however,  it  may  not  be  till 
next  day.1  Mr.  Dana  2  will  come  on  board  at  nine  to-mor 
row.  Mr.  Hancock  has  sent  me  a  card  to  invite  me  to  go 
on  board  with  him  in  the  castle  barge.  Don't  make  many 
words  of  this.  Your  aunt  has  given  me  a  barrel  of  cran 
berries.  I  shall  make  a  good  use  of  them,  I  hope. 

Let  me  entreat  you  to  keep  up  your  spirits  and  throw 
off  cares  as  much  as  possible.  Love  to  Abby  and  Tommy. 
We  shall  yet  be  happy,  I  hope  and  pray,  and  I  don't 
doubt  it.  I  shall  have  vexations  enough,  as  usual.  You 
will  have  anxiety  and  tenderness  enough,  as  usual.  Pray 

1  Mr.  Adams  had  reached  home  on  the  2d  of  August,  in  the  Sensible.     He 
was  now  ordered  abroad  again  under  a  new  commission,  in  the  same  vessel, 
then  on  her  return  to  France.     He  took  two  sons  with  him. 

2  Francis  Dana  accompanied  Mr.  Adams  as  Secretary  of  Legation. 


368  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

strive  not  to  have  too  much.      I  will  write  by  every  oppor 
tunity  I  can  get. 

Yours  ever,cever  yours,  JOHN  ADAMS. 

254.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

14  November,  1779. 

DEAREST  OF  FRIENDS,  —  My  habitation,  how  discon 
solate  it  looks  !  my  table,  I  sit  down  to  it,  but  cannot 
swallow  my  food !  Oh,  why  was  I  born  with  so  much  sen 
sibility,  and  why,  possessing  it,  have  I  so  often  been  called 
to  struggle  with  it?  I  wish  to  see  you  again.  Were  I 
sure  you  would  not  be  gone,  I  could  not  withstand  the 
temptation  of  coming  to  town,  though  my  heart  would 
suffer  over  again  the  cruel  torture  of  separation. 

What  a  cordial  to  my  dejected  spirits  were  the  few 
lines  last  night  received  !  And  does  your  heart  forebode 
that  we  shall  again  be  happy  ?  My  hopes  and  fears  rise 
alternately.  I  cannot  resign  more  than  I  do,  unless  life 
itself  were  called  for.  My  dear  sons,  I  cannot  think  of 
them  without  a  tear.  Little  do  they  know  the  feelings  of 
a  mother's  heart.  May  they  be  good  and  useful  as  their 
father !  Then  will  they  in  some  measure  reward  the 
anxiety  of  a  mother.  My  tenderest  love  to  them.  Re- 
member^me  also  to  Mr.  Thaxter,  whose  civilities  and  kind 
ness  I  shall  miss. 

God  Almighty  bless  and  protect  my  dearest  friend,  and, 
in  his  own  time,  restore  him  to  the  affectionate  bosom  of 

PORTIA. 

255.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

At  Sea,  not  far  from  the  Grand 
Bank  of  N.  F.  L.,  29  November,  1779. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  A  brave  fellow  from  Boston, 
Captain  Carr,  gives  me  an  opportunity  of  writing  one  line,  to 
let  you  know  that  we  are  all  very  well  thus  far.  Charles 
behaves  quite  as  well  as  John,  and  lies  in  my  room 
anights.  Mr.  Dana  has  been  very  sick,  but  is  now  pretty 
well.  We  are  now  out  o'f  all  danger  of  the  Romulus 
and  Virginia,  and  I  hope  have  little  to  fear  from  the 


1779.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  369 

enemy.  We  have  had  one  storm,  which  made  ns  all  sea 
sick,  but  brought  us  on  well  in  our  course.  I  wish  I  could 
write  to  you  these  two  hours,  but  time  fails.  Ships  cannot 
wait  for  each  other  at  sea. 

My  love  to  Nabby  and  Tommy.  Tell  them  to  mind 
their  studies.  Tell  Nabby  though  she  has  lost  her  French 
master  for  some  time,  I  hope  she  will  persevere,  and  perhaps 
a  French  mistress  in  her  mamma  may  do  better.  Duty  to 
your  father,  my  mother,  brothers,  sister,  etc.,  etc.  Don't 
fail  to  let  me  know  how  the  Constitution  1  goes  on. 

I  write  this  on  my  knees,  and  the  ship  rolls  so  that  I 
write  worse  than  common. 

256.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

10  December,  1779. 

I  WILL  not  omit  any  opportunity  of  writing,  though  ever 
so  great  an  uncertainty  whether  it  will  reach  your  hand. 
My  uncle  Smith  has  a  vessel  bound  to  Calais.  He  ad 
vises  me  to  write,  and  I  most  willingly  comply,  though  my 
faith  in  the  conveyance  is  but  poor.  Indeed,  I  have  lost 
my  faith  with  my  spirits. 

My  friends  assure  me  from  their  observations  that  yoa 
must  have  had  a  good  passage.  God  grant  it,  I  say,  but 
my  fears  and  anxieties  are  many,  very  many.  I  had  a 
faith  and  reliance  that  supported  me  before,  but  now  my 
heart  so  misgives  me  that  I  cannot  find  that  confidence 
which  I  wish  for.  Your  letter  from  Cape  Ann  arrived  and 
cheered  my  drooping  spirits.  Could  I  hear  of  your  safe 
arrival,  I  would  try  to  compose  my  agitated  mind,  which 
has  horrors  both  day  and  night. 

My  dear  sons !  Little  do  they  know  how  many  veins 
of  their  mother's  heart  bled  when  she  parted  from  them. 
My  delicate  Charles,  how  has  he  endured  the  fatigue  of 
his  voyage  ?  John  is  a  hardy  sailor,  seasoned  before.  I 
do  not  feel  so  much  for  him.  Your  fellow-travellers,  too, 
I  do  not  forget  to  think  of  them.  I  will  not  wish  myself 
with  you,  because  you  say  a  lady  cannot  help  being  an 

1  The  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  then  in  process  of  construction.  . 
24 


370  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

odious  creature  at  sea  ;  and  I  will  not  wish  myself  in  any 
situation  that  should  make  me  so  to  you. 

Nothing  new  in  the  political  way  but  the  raising  the 
siege  of  Savannah  l  and  being  unfortunate.  You  will  have 
particulars,  no  doubt.  Our  friends  are  all  well.  Mr. 
Laurens  is  appointed  to  Holland  —  has  not  yet  given  his 
answer.  Adieu.  Ever,  ever  yours,  PORTIA. 

257.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Ferrol,  11  December,  1779. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  We  have  had  an  escape  again,2 
but  are  arrived  safely  in  Spain.  As  the  frigate  will  prob 
ably  not  get  from  this  place  these  two  months,  I  must  go 
by  land  to  Paris,  which  I  suppose  is  a  journey  of  between 
three  and  four  hundred  leagues.  That  part  of  it  which  is 
in  Spain  is  very  mountainous.  No  post,  bad  roads,  bad 
taverns,  and  very  dear.  We  must  ride  mules,  horses  not 
being  to  be  had.  I  must  get  some  kind  of  carriage  for 
the  children,  if  possible.  They  are  very  well.  Charles 
has  sustained  the  voyage  and  behaves  as  well  as  ever  his 
brother  did.  He  is  much  pleased  with  what  he  sees. 
Sammy  Cooper,  too,  is  very  well.  These  young  gentlemen 
give  me  a  vast  deal  of  trouble  in  this  unexpected  journey. 
I  have  bought  a  dictionary  and  grammar,  and  they  are 
learning  the  Spanish  language  as  fast  as  possible.  What 
could  we  do,  if  you  and  all  the  family  were  with  me  ? 

Ferrol  is  a  magnificent  port  and  harbor.  It  is  fortified 
by  nature  by  rows  of  lofty  rocky  mountains  on  each  side 
the  narrow  entrance  of  it,  and  the  public  works,  the  fortifi 
cations,  barracks,  arsenals,  etc.,  which  are  of  stone  very 
like  Braintree  stone,  exceed  anything  I  have  seen.  I 
dined  the  day  before  yesterday  with  Don  Joseph  Saint 
Vincent,  the  Lieutenant-general  of  the  Marine,  who  is 
the  commandant  of  this  port,  with  four-and-twenty  French 
and  Spanish  officers.  The  difference  between  gravity  and 

1  By  the  joint  forces  of  America  and  France.      Stedman's  American  War, 
Vol.  II.  p.  132. 

2  The  frigate  sprang  a  leak  and  was  compelled  to  put  into  the  first  harbor, 
which  proved  to  be  Ferrol  in  Spain. 


1779  |  JOHN  ADAMS.  371 

gayety  was  an  amusing  speculation.  Yesterday  I  dined 
on  board  the  Triompkant,  an  eighty-gun  French  ship,  com 
manded  by  the  Chef  d'Escadre,  M.  Sade,  and  have  engage 
ments  for  every  day  for  a  much  longer  time  than  I  shall 
stay.  The  French  consul  and  vice-consul  have  been  par 
ticularly  polite  and  obliging  to  me.  In  short,  I  never  was 
better  pleased  with  a  reception  at  any  place. 

There  is  no  news.  Nothing  has  been  done  in  Europe. 
England  is  as  insolent  in  language  as  ever  ;  but  this  is 
only  ridiculous,  as  it  is  apparently  impotent. 

258.   JOHN  ADAMS. 

Ferrol,  12  December,  1779. 

THE  French  consul  had  agreed  to  carry  me,  Mr.  Dana, 
Mr.  Allen,  and  my  three  children  and  our  three  servants, 
this  day  to  Corunna,  which  is  about  five  leagues  from  this 
place,  by  water,  in  a  barge  of  fourteen  oars,  but  the  weather 
proved  so  boisterous  that  it  was  impossible  to  go. 

To  give  you  some  idea  of  the  place  where  we  are,  Cape 
Finisterre  and  Cape  Ortegal  are  two  long  arms  of  land 
stretched  out  into  the  sea,  which  embrace  a  large  body  of 
water.  Within  this  bay  are  two  other  points  of  land, 
within  one  of  which  is  Ferrol,  where  we  now  are,  and 
within  the  other  is  Corunua,  where  we  intended  to  have 
gone  this  day,  if  the  weather  had  permitted ;  but  we  hope 
to  go  to-morrow.  We  can  get  neither  horses  nor  mules 
nor  carriages,  in  this  place,  for  ourselves  or  our  baggage, 
which  I  am  much  surprised  at,  as  it  is  so  grand  a  port. 
Living  and  conveniences  for  conveyance  are  very  dear  in 
this  place,  which  will  run  my  expenses  very  high.  There 
is  nothing  remarkable  here  but  the  natural  strength  of  the 
place  and  the  artificial  fortifications,  together  with  the 
arsenals,  dry  docks,  barracks,  and  military  matters  by  sea 
and  land.  The  city  is  small,  not  very  well  built  nor  ac 
commodated.  Very  little  commerce  or  manufactures,  in 
dustry  or  diversions.  There  are  two  or  three  elegant 
Churches,  and  there  is  an  Italian  opera.  There  is  the  ap 
pearance  of  much  devotion,  and  there  are  many  ecclesiastics. 

It  is  dull  enough  to  be  in  a  country,  so  wholly  ignorant 


372  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

of  the  language  and  usages ;  but  we  have  furnished  our 
selves  with  a  dictionary  and  grammar,  and  are  learning 
every  hour.  Charles  is  much  pleased  with  what  he  sees 
and  hears,  and  behaves  very  discreetly.  John  is  writing  to 
you  and  his  sister  and  brother.  I  excused  myself  from 
dining  to-day  on  board  the  Souverain  and  on  board  the 
Jason,  two  French  men-of-war.  Yesterday  I  dined  on 
board  the  Triompkant,  and  the  children  on  board  the  Jason. 
The  French  officers  appear  to-day  with  cockades  in  honor 
of  the  triple  alliance  —  a  large  white  ribbon  for  the  French, 
a  smaller  red  one  for  the  Spaniards,  and  a  black  one  for 
the  Americans,  which  makes  a  pretty  appearance. 

Upon  looking  a  little  into  the  Spanish  language,  I  find 
it  so  very  nearly  like  the  Latin  that  I  am  persuaded  we 
shall  learn  more  of  it  in  a  month  than  we  did  of  French  in 
half  a  year.  The  manners  of  the  Spaniards  and  French 
are  as  opposite  as  grave  and  gay.  The  dress  of  the  Spanish 
officers  is  much  like  the  French.  That  of  the  people  a 
little  different.  Men  and  women,  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
are  very  fond  of  long  hair,  which  often  reaches,  braided  in 
a  queue  or  bound  round  with  a  black  ribbon,  almost  to 
their  hams.  The  ladies  wear  cloaks,  black  or  white,  which 
come  over  their  heads  and  shoulders  and  reach  down  to 
their  waists.  They  have  fine  black  eyes,  and  consequently 
dark  but  yet  lively  complexions. 

When,  oh  when  shall  I  see  you  again,  and  live  in  peace  ? 

The  Russian  ambassador  lately  appointed  to  relieve  the 
one  lately  in  London,  passed  through  France  and  was  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks  at  Paris,  from  whence  the  shrewd 
politicians  have  conjectured  that  peace  was  about  to  be 
mediated  by  that  power.  But  it  is  said  that  England  is  H8 
reluctant  to  acknowledge  the  independence  of  America  as 
to  cede  Gibraltar,  the  last  of  which  is  insisted  upon  as 
well  as  the  first.  But  this  is  only  bruit.  Adieu. 

259.    JOHN  ADAMS. 

Corunna,  16  December,  1779. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Last  night  we  all  arrived  in 
this  place  from  Ferrol.  The  distance  is  about  twenty 


1780.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  373 

miles  by  land,  over  high  mountains  and  bad  roads.  You 
would  have  been  diverted  to  have  seen  us  all  mounted  upon 
our  mules  and  marching  in  train.  From  the  mountains 
we  had  all  along  thy  prospect  of  a  rich,  fertile  country, 
cultivated  up  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills  and  down  to 
the  very  edge  of  water,  all  along  the  shore. 

I  made  my  visit  last  night  to  the  Governor  of  the  prov 
ince,  who  resides  here,  and  to  the  G-overnor  of  the  town, 
and  was  politely  received  by  both.  I  have  a  long  journey 
before  me  of  a  thousand  miles,  I  suppose,  at  least,  to  Paris. 
Through  this  kingdom  we  shall  have  bad  roads  and  worse 
accommodations.  I  don't  expect  to  be  able  to  get  to  Paris 
in  less  than  thirty  days.  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  Spain,  but  it  will  be  at  a  great  expense.  I  am  ad 
vised  by  everybody  to  go  by  land.  The  frigate,  the  Sensi 
ble,  is  in  so  bad  condition  as  to  make  it  probable  she  will 
not  be  fit  to  put  to  sea  in  less  than  three  or  four  weeks, 
perhaps  five  or  six  ;  and  then  we  should  have  the  storms 
and  enemies  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to  escape  or  encounter. 
After  this  wandering  way  of  life  is  passed,  I  hope  to  re 
turn  to  my  best  friend  and  pass  the  remainder  of  our  days 
in  quiet. 

I  cannot  learn  that  Great  Britain  is  yet  in  temper  to 
listen  to  propositions  of  peace,  and  I  don't  expect  before 
another  winter  to  have  much  to  do  in  my  present  capacity. 
My  tenderest  affection  to  our  dear  children,  and  believe  me 

Ever  yours. 

.260.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Bilbao,  16  January,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  We  arrived  here  last  night,  all 
alive,  but  all  very  near  sick  with  violent  colds  taken  on 
the  road  for  want  of  comfortable  accommodations.  I  was 
advised  on  all  hands  to  come  by  land  rather  than  wait  an 
uncertain  time  for  a  passage  by  sea.  But  if  I  had  known 
the  difficulties  of  travelling  in  that  part  of  Spain  which  I 
have  passed  through,  I  think  I  should  not  have  ventured 
upon  the  journey.  It  is  vain  to  attempt  a  description  of 
our  passage.  Through  the  province  of  Gallicia,  and  again 


374  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

when  we  came  to  that  of  Biscay,  we  had  an  uninterrupted 
succession  of  mountains  ;  through  that  of  Leon  and  the  old 
Castile,  constant  plains.  A  country  tolerably  good  by 
nature,  but  not  well  cultivated.  Through  the  whole  of  the 
journey  the  taverns  were  inconvenient  to  us,  because  there 
are  no  chimneys  in  their  houses,  and  we  had  cold  weather 
A  great  part  of  the  way,  the  wretchedness  of  our  accommo 
dation  exceeds  all  description. 

At  Bilbao  we  fare  very  well,  and  have  received  much 
civility  from  Messrs.  Gardoqui  and  Sons,  as  we  did  at 
Ferrol  and  Corunna  from  M.  de  Tournelle  and  M.  Lagoa- 
nere.  I  wish  I  could  send  you  some  few  things  for  the 
use  of  the  family  from  hence,  but  the  risk  is  such  that  I 
believe  I  had  better  wait  until  we  get  to  France.  I  have 
undergone  the  greatest  anxiety  for  the  children  through  a 
tedious  journey  and  voyage.  I  hope  their  travels  will  be 
of  service  to  them,  but  those  at  home  are  best  off.  My 
love  to  them.  Adieu,  adieu. 

261.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

„    Paris,  Hotel  de  Valois,  16  February,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  be  lodged 
here  with  no  less  a  personage  than  the  Prince  of  Hesse 
Cassel,  who  is  here  upon  a  visit.  We  occupy  different 
apartments  in  the  same  house,  and  have  no  intercourse 
with  each  other,  to  be  sure ;  but  some  wags  are  of  opin 
ion  that  if  I  were  authorized  to  open  a  negotiation  with 
him,  I  might  obtain  from  him  as  many  troops  to  fight  on 
our  side  of  the  question  as  he  has  already  hired  out  to  the 
English  against  us. 

I  have  found  everything  agreeable  here  as  yet.  The 
children  are  happy  in  their  academy,  of  which  I  send  you 
the  plan  inclosed. 

The  English  bounce  a  great  oTeal  about  obtaining  seven 
thousand  troops  from  the  petty  German  princes  and  ten 
thousand  from  Ireland,  to  send  to  America,  but  this  is  only 
a  repetition  of  their  annual  gasconade.  We  are  in  pain 
for  Charleston,  S.  C.,  being  apprehensive  that  they  have 
made  or  will  make  an  effort  to  obtain  that ;  which  will  be 


1780.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  375 

a  terrible  misfortune  to  that  people,  and  a  great  loss  to  the 
United  States,  but  will  be  no  lasting  advantage  to  our  ene 
mies. 

The  channel  of  correspondence  you  propose,  by  way  of 
Bilbao  and  Cadiz,  will  bring  many  letters,  no  doubt,  and  I 
have  received  one  of  the  10th  of  December,  but  the  post 
age  is  so  expensive,  being  obliged  to  pay  forty-four  livres 
for  the  packet  that  came  with  yours,  that  I  would  not  ad 
vise  you  to  send  anything  that  way,  unless  it  be  a  single 
letter  or  anything  material  in  the  journals  of  Congress,  or 
letters  from  my  friends  in  Congress  or  elsewhere,  that  con 
tain  anything  particularly  interesting.  The.  house  of  Jo 
seph  Gardoqui  and  Sons  have  sent  to  you,  by  Captain 
Babson,  of  Newburyport,  belonging  to  Mr.  Tracy,  some 
necessaries  for  the  family,  and  yoU  may  write  to  Mr.  Gar 
doqui  for  anything  you  want  by  any  vessel  belonging  to 
your  uncle,  to  Mr.  Jackson,  or  Mr.  Tracy,  provided  you 
don't  exceed  one  hundred  dollars  by  any  one  vessel.  Mr. 
Gardoqui  will  readily  send  them  and  draw  upon  me  for  the 
money. 

I  had  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  the  acquaintance  of 
this  family  of  Guardoquis,  and  was  treated  by  them  with 
the  magnificence  of  a  prince.  They  will  be  very  glad  to 
be  useful  to  you  in  anything  they  can  do.  You  will  re 
member,  however,  that  we  have  many  children,  and  that 
our  duty  to  them  requires  that  we  should  manage  all  our 
affairs  with  the  strictest  economy.  My  journey  through 
Spain  has  been  infinitely  expensive  to  me,  and  exceeded 
far  my  income.  It  is  very  expensive  here,  and  I  fear  that 
I  shall  find  it  difficult  to  make  both  ends  meet ;  but  I  must 
and  will  send  you  something  for  necessary  use  by  every 
opportunity.  If  Mr.  Lovell  does  not  procure  me  the  reso 
lution  of  Congress  I  mentioned  to  him,  that  of  drawing 
on  a  certain  gentleman  or  his  banker,  I  shall  soon  be 
starved  out.  Pray  mention  it  to  him. 

I  shall  write  as  often  as  possible,  but  conveyances  will 
be  very  rare,  I  fear. 

I  am,  as  I  ever  was  and  ever  shall  be, 

Yours,  yours,  yours. 


376  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  February 

262.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Paris,  Hotel  de  Valois, 
""  Rue  de  Richelieu,  23  February,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  The  children  made  me  a  visit 
to-day,  and  went  with  me  to  dine  with  my  old  friends,  the 
two  Abbes,  whom  you  have  often  heard  me  mention,  Cha- 
lut  and  Arnoux,  who  desire  me  to  mention  them  to  you  in 
my  letters  as  devoted  friends  of  America,  and  particular 
friends  to  me  and  to  you,  notwithstanding  the  difference 
of  religion.  The  children  are  still  in  good  health  and 
spirits,  and  well  pleased  with  their  academy.  Ah !  how 
much  pain  have  these  young  gentlemen  cost  me  within 
these  three  months !  The  mountains,  the  cold,  the  mules, 
the  houses  without  chimneys  or  windows,  the  —  I  will  not 
add.  I  wish'  for  a  painter  to  draw  me  and  my  company 
mounted  on  muleback,  or  riding  in  the  caleches,  or  walk 
ing,  for  we  walked  one  third  of  the  way.  Yet  by  the 
help  of  constant  care  and  expense,  I  have  been  able  to  get 
them  all  safe  to  Paris.  The  other  moiety  of  the  family  is 
quite  as  near  my  heart,  and  therefore  I  hope  they  will  never 
be  ramblers.  I  am  sick  of  rambling.  If  I  could  trans 
port  the  other  moiety  across  the  Atlantic  with  a  wish,  and 
be  sure  of  returning  them,  when  it  should  become  neces 
sary,  in  the  same  manner,  how  happy  should  I  be ! 

I  have  been  received  here  with  much  cordiality,  and  am 
daily  visited  by  characters  who  do  me  much  honor.  Some 
day  or  other  you  will  know,  I  believe,  but  I  had  better  not 
say  at  present.  Your  friend  the  Comte  d'Estaing,  how 
ever,  I  ought  to  mention,  because  you  have  been  acquainted 
with  him.  I  have  dined  with  him,  and  he  has  visited  me 
and  I  him,  and  I  hope  to  have  many  more  conversations 
with  him,  for  public  reasons,  not  private,  for  on  a  private 
account  great  men  and  little  are  much  alike  to  me. 

Mr.  Lee  and  Mr.  Izard  are  going  home  in  the  Alliance, 
and,  I  hope,  will  make  you  a  visit.  How  many  vicissitudes 
they  are  to  experience,  as  well  as  I  and  all  the  rest  of  our 
countrymen,  I  know  not.  The  events  of  politics  are  not 
less  uncertain  than  those  of  war.  Whatever  they  may  be, 
I  shall  be  content.  Of  one  thing  I  am  pretty  sure,  that 


1780.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  377 

if  I  return  again  safe  to  America,  I  shall  be  happy  the 
remainder  of  my  days,  because  I  shall  stay  at  home,  and 
at  home  I  must  be  to  be  happy.  There  is  no  improbabil 
ity  that  I  may  be  obliged  to  come  home  again  soon,  for 
want  of  means  to  stay  here.  I  hope,  however,  care  will 
be  taken  that  something  may  be  done  to  supply  us.  My 
tenderest  affection  to  Abby  and  Tommy.  They  are  better 
off  than  their  brothers,  after  all.  I  have  been  taking 
measures  to  send  home  your  things.  I  hope  to  succeed  by 
the  Alliance.  It  shall  not  be  my  fault,  if  I  do  not.  If  I 
cannot  send  by  her,  I  will  wait  for  another  frigate,  if  it  is 
a  year,  for  I  have  no  confidence  in  other  vessels. 

Yours,  forever  yours. 

263.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

26  February,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  This  day  I  am  happy  in  the 
news  of  your  safe  arrival  at  Corunria  by  a  vessel  arrived 
at  Newburyport  in  sixty  days  from  thence.  I  cannot  be 
sufficiently  thankful  for  this  agreeable  intelligence  or  for 
the  short  and  I  hope  comfortable  passage  with  which  you 
were  favored.  I  suppose  you  will  proceed  from  thence  by 
land,  and  flatter  myself  that  a  few  weeks  will  bring  me  the 
tidings  of  your  arrival  in  France. 

Captain  Sampson  has  at  last  arrived  after  a  tedious  pas 
sage  of  eighty-nine  days.  By  him  came  three  letters  for 
you,  two  from  Arthur  Lee  and  one  from  Mr.  Gellee.  Both 
these  gentlemen  are  pleased  to  make  mention  of  me.  You 
will  therefore  return  my  respectful  compliments  to  them 
and  tell  them  that  I  esteem  myself  honored  by  their  notice. 

I  wrote  you  by  Mr.  Austin,  who  I  hope  is  safely  arrived. 
He  went  from  here  in  the  height  of  the  sublimest  winter 
I  ever  saw.  In  the  latter  part  of  December  and  begin 
ning  of  January  there  fell  the  highest  snow  known  since  the 
year  1740  ;  and  from  that  time  to  this  day  the  Bay  has 
been  frozen  so  hard  that  people  have  walked,  rode,  and 
sledded  over  it  to  Boston.  It  was  frozen  across  Nantasket 
Road  so  that  no  vessel"  could  come  in  or  go  out  for  a 
month  after  the  storms.  We  had  neither  snow,  rain,  nor  the 


378  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [February, 

least  thaw.  It  has  been  remarkably  healthy,  and  we  have 
lived  along  very  comfortable,  though  many  people  have  suf 
fered  greatly  for  fuel.  The  winter  has  been  so  severe  that 
very  little  has  been  attempted  and  less  performed  by  our 
army.  The  enemy  have  been  more  active  and  mischievous, 
but  have  failed  in  their  grand  attempt  of  sending  large  suc 
cors  to  Georgia,  by  a  severe  storm  which  dispersed  and 
wrecked  many  of  their  fleet. 

We  have  hopes  that,  as  the  combined  fleets  are  again  at 
sea,  they  will  facilitate  a  negotiation  for  peace,  —  a  task 
arduous  and  important,  beset  with  many  dangers. 

In  one  of  these  letters  received  by  Captain  Sampson,  Mr. 
Gellee  mentions  a  report  which  was  raised  and  circulated 
concerning  you  after  you  left  France. 

The  best  reply  that  could  possibly  be  made  to  so  ground 
less  an  accusation  is  the  unsolicited  testimony  of  your  coun 
try  in  so  speedily  returning  you  there  in  a  more  honorable 
and  important  mission  than  that  which  you  had  before  sus 
tained. 

Pride,  vanity,  envy,  ambition,  and  malice  are  the  ungrate 
ful  foes  that  combat  merit  and  integrity  ;  though  for  a 
while  they  may  triumph,  to  the  injury  of  the  just  and  good, 
the  steady,  unwearied  perseverance  of  virtue  and  honor  will 
finally  prevail  over  them.  He  who  can  retire  from  a  pub 
lic  life  to  a  private  station  with  a  self-approving  conscience, 
unambitious  of  pomp  or  power,  has  little  to  dread  from  the 
machinations  of  envy,  the  snares  of  treachery,  the  malice  of 
dissimulation,  or  the  clandestine  stabs  of  calumny.  In  time 
they  will  work  their  own  ruin. 

You  will  be  solicitous  to  know  how  our  Constitution 
prospers.  The  Convention  are  still  sitting.  I  am  not  at 
present  able  to  give  you  an  accurate  account  of  their  pro 
ceedings,  but  shall  endeavor  to  procure  a  satisfactory  one 
against  a  more  direct  conveyance. 

I  earnestly  long  to  receive  from  your  own  hand  an  as 
surance  of  your  safety  and  that  of  my  dear  sous.  I  send 
all  the  journals  and  papers  I  have  received. 

Success  attend  all  your  endeavors  for  the  public  weal ; 
and  that  happiness  and  approbation  of  your  country  be  the 


1780.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  379 

reward  of  your  labors  is  the  ardent  wish  of  your  affec 
tionate  PORTIA. 

264.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Without  date,  1780. 

MY  DEAR  PORTIA,  —  Yesterday  we  went  to  see  the  gar 
den  of  the  King,  Jardin  du  Roi,  and  his  cabinet  of  natural 
history,  cabinet  d'histoire  naturelle.  The  cabinet  of  natu 
ral  history  is  a  great  collection  of  metals,  minerals,  shells, 
insects,  birds,  beasts,  fishes,  and  precious  stones.  They  are 
arranged  in  good  order  and  preserved  in  good  condition, 
with  the  name  of  everything,  beautifully  written  on  a  piece 
of  paper,  annexed  to  it.  There  is  also  a  collection  of  woods 
and  marbles.  The  garden  is  large  and  airy,  affording  fine 
walks  between  rows  of  trees.  Here  is  a  collection,  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  of  all  the  plants,  roots,  and  vegetables 
that  are  used  in  medicine,  and  indeed  of  all  the  plants  and 
trees  in  the  world.  A  fine  scene  for  the  studious  youths 
in  physic  and  philosophy.  It  was  a  public  day.  There  was 
a  great  deal  of  company,  and  I  had  opportunity  only  to 
take  a  cursory  view.  The  whole  is  very  curious.  There 
is  a  handsome  statue  of  M.  Buffon,  the  great  natural  histo 
rian,  whose  works  you  have,  whose  labors  have  given  fame 
to  this  cabinet  and  garden.  When  shall  we  have  in  Amer 
ica  such  collections  ?  The  collection  of  American  curios 
ities  that  I  saw  in  Norwalk,  in  Connecticut,  made  by  Mr. 
Arnold,  which  he  afterwards,  to  my  great  mortification,  sold 
to  Governor  Tryon,  convinces  me  that  our  country  affords 
as  ample  materials  for  collections  of  this  nature  as  any  part 
of  the  world. 

Five  midshipmen  of  the  Alliance  came  here  last  night, 
Marston,  Hogan,  Fitzgerald,  and  two  others,  from  Norway, 
where  they  were  sent  with  prizes,  which  the  court  of  Den 
mark  were  absurd  and  unjust  enough  to  restore  to  the  Eng 
lish.  They,  however,  treated  the  officers  and  people  well, 
and  defrayed  their  expenses.  They  say  the  Norwegians 
were  very  angry  with  the  court  of  Copenhagen  for  deliver 
ing  up  these  vessels.  It  was  the  blunder  of  ignorance,  I 
believe,  rather  than  any  ill  will. 


380  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [1780. 

Every  day,  when  I  ride  out  without  any  particular  busi 
ness  to  do  or  visit  to  make,  I  order  my  servant  to  carry  me 
to  some  place  where  I  never  was  before,  so  that,  at  last,  I 
believe,  I  have  seen  all  Paris  and  all  the  fields  and  scenes 
about  it  that  are  near  it.  It  is  very  pleasant.  Charles  is 
as  well  beloved  here  as  at  home.  Wherever  he  goes  every 
body  loves  him.  Mr.  Dana  is  as  fond  of  him,  I  think,  as  I 
am.  He  learns  very  well. 

There  is  a  volume  in  folio  just  published  here,  which  I 
yesterday  ran  over  at  a  bookseller's  shop.  It  is  a  descrip 
tion  and  a  copper-plate  of  all  the  engravings  upon  pre 
cious  stones  in  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  The 
stamps  are  extremely  beautiful,  and  are  representations  of 
the  gods  and  heroes  of  antiquity,  with  most  of  the  fables  of 
their  mythology.  Such  a  book  would  be  very  useful  to  the 
children  in  studying  the  classics,  but  it  is  too  dear  ;  three 
guineas,  unbound.  There  is  everything  here  that  can  in 
form  the  understanding  or  refine  the  taste,  and  indeed,  one 
would  think,  that  could  purify  the  heart.  Yet  it  must  be 
remembered  there  is  everything  here,  too,  which  can  seduce, 
betray,  deceive,  deprave,  corrupt,  and  debauch  it.  Hercules 
marches  here  in  full  view  of  the  steeps  of  virtue  on  one 
hand  and  the  flowery  paths  of  pleasure  on  the  other,  and 
there  are  few  who  make  the  choice  of  Hercules.  That  my 
children  may  follow  his  example  is  my  earnest  prayer  ;  but 
I  sometimes  tremble  when  I  hear  the  siren  song  of  sloth, 
lest  they  should  be  captivated  with  her  bewitching  charms 
and  her  soft,  insinuating  music. 

265.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Without  date,  1780. 

MY  DEAR  PORTIA,  —  The  inclosed  dialogue  in  the 
shades  was  written  by  Mr.  Edmund  Jennings,  now  residing 
at  Brussels,  a  native  of  Maryland.  I  will  send  you  the 
rest  when  I  can  get  it.  How  I  lament  the  loss  of  my 
packets  by  Austin  !  There  were,  I  suppose,  letters  from 
Congress  of  great  importance  to  me.  I  know  not  what  I 
shall  do  without  them.  I  suppose  there  was  authority  to 
draw,  etc.  Mr.  T.'s  letter  from  his  father  hints  that  Mr. 
L.  is  coming  here.  This  will  be  excellent. 


1780.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  381 

Since  my  arrival  this  time,  I  have  driven  about  Paris 
more  than  I  did  before.  The  rural  scenes  around  this 
town  are  charming.  The  public  walks,  gardens,  etc.,  are 
extremely  beautiful.  The  gardens  of  the  Palais  Royal 
and  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries  are  very  fine.  The 
Place  cle  Louis  XV.,  the  Place  Vendome  or  Place  de 
Louis  XIV.,  the  Place  Victoire,  the  Place  Royale,  are 
fine  squares,  ornamented  with  very  magnificent  statues. 
I  wish  I  had  time  to  describe  these  objects  to  you,  in  a 
manner  that  I  should  have  done  twenty-five  years  ago  ;  but 
rny  head-  is  too  full  of  schemes,  and  my  heart  of  anxiety, 
to  use  expressions  borrowed  from  you  know  whom.  To 
take  a  walk  in  the  gardens  of  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries, 
and  describe  the  statues  there,  all  in  marble,  in  which  the 
ancient  divinities  and  heroes  are  represented  with  ex 
quisite  art,  would  be  a  very  pleasant  amusement  and  in 
structive  entertainment,  improving  in  history,  mythology, 
poetry,  as  well  as  in  statuary.  Another  walk  in  the  gar 
dens  of  Versailles  would  be  useful  and  agreeable.  But  to 
observe  these  objects  with  taste,  and  describe  them  so  as 
to  be  understood,  would  require  more  time  and  thought 
than  I  can  possibly  spare.  It  is  not  indeed  the  fine  arts 
which  our  country  requires ;  the  useful,  the  mechanic  arts 
are  those  which  we  have  occasion  for  in  a  young  country 
as  yet  simple  and  not  far  advanced  in  luxury,  although 
perhaps  much  too  far  for  her  age  and  character.  I  could 
fill  volumes  with  descriptions  of  temples  and  palaces,  paint 
ings,  sculptures,  tapestry,  porcelain,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  if  I 
could  have  time  ;  but  I  could  not  do  this  without  neglect 
ing  my  duty.  The  science  of  government  it  is  my  duty 
to  study,  more  than  all  other  sciences ;  the  arts  of  legisla 
tion  and  administration  and  negotiation  ought  to  take 
place  of,  indeed  to  exclude,  in  a  manner,  all  other  arts.  I 
must  study  politics  and  war,  that  my  sons  may  have  lib 
erty  to  study  mathematics  and  philosophy.  My  sons 
ought  to  study  mathematics  and  philosophy,  geography, 
natural  history  and  naval  architecture,  navigation,  com 
merce,  and  agriculture,  in  order  to  give  their  children  a 
right  to  study  painting,  poetry,  music,  architecture,  statuary, 
tapestry,  and  porcelain.  Adieu. 


382  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [June, 

266.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Paris,  17  June,  1780. 

MY  DEAR  PORTIA,  —  I  yesterday  received  a  letter  of 
the  26th  of  April  from  brother  Cranch,  for  which  I  thank 
him,  and  will  answer  as  soon  as  possible.  He  tells  me 
you  have  drawn  a  little  bill  upon  me.  I  am  sorry  for  it, 
because  I  have  sent  and  should  continue  to  send  you  small 
presents,  by  which  you  would  be  enabled  to  do  better  than 
by  drawing  bills.  I  would  not  have  you  draw  any  more. 
I  will  send  you  things  which  will  defray  your  expenses 
better.  The  machine  is  horribly  dear.  Mr.  C.  desires  to 
know  if  he  may  draw  on  me.  I  wish  it  was  in  my  power 
to  oblige  him,  but  it  is  not.  I  have  no  remittances,  nor 
anything  to  depend  on.  Not  a  line  from  Congress,  nor 
any  member,  since  I  left  you.  My  expenses  through 
Spain  were  beyond  all  imagination,  and  my  expenses  here 
are  so  exorbitant  that  I  can't  answer  any  bill  from  any 
body,  not  even  from  you,  excepting  the  one  you  have 
drawn.  I  must  beg  you  to  be  as  prudent  as  possible. 
Depend  upon  it,  your  children  will  have  occasion  for  all 
your  economy.  Mr.  Johonnot  must  send  me  some  bills. 
Every  farthing  is  expended,  and  more.  You  can  have  no 
idea  of  my  unavoidable  expenses.  I  know  not  what  to 
do.  Your  little  affairs  and  those  of  all  our  friends,  Mr. 
Wibird,  etc.,  are  on  board  the  Alliance,  and  have  been  so 
these  four  months,  or  ready  to  be.  Pray  write  me  by  way 
of  Spain  and  Holland,  as  well  as  France.  We  are  all 
well.  My  duty  to  your  father,  my  mother,  and  affection 
and  respects  where  due.  My  affections,  I  fear,  got  the 
better  of  my  judgment  in  bringing  my  boys.  They  behave 
very  well,  however. 

London  is  in  the  horrors.  Governor  Hutchinson  fell 
down  dead  at  the  first  appearance  of  mobs.  They  have 
been  terrible.  A  spirit  of  bigotry  and  fanaticism,  mixing 
with  the  universal  discontents  of  the  nation,  has  broken  out 
into  violences  of  the  most  dreadful  nature,  burned  Lord 
Mansfield's  house,  books,  manuscripts  ;  burned  the  King's 
Bench  prison  and  all  the  other  prisons,  let  loose  all  the 
debtors  and  criminals,  tore  to  pieces  Sir  George  Saville's 


1780.J  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  383 

house,  insulted  all  the  lords  of  Parliament,  etc.,  etc. 
Many  have  been  killed,  martial  law  proclaimed,  many 
hanged.  Lord  George  Gordon  committed  to  the  Tower 
for  high  treason,  and  where  it  will  end,  God  only  knows. 
The  mobs  all  cried.  Peace  with  America  and  war  with 
France.  Poor  wretches  !  as  if  this  were  possible  ! 

In  the  English  papers  they  have  inserted  the  death  of. 
Mr.  Hutchinson  with  severity,  in  these  words :  '  "  Gov 
ernor  Hutchinson  is  no  more.  On  Saturday  last  he  dropped 
down  dead.  It  is  charity  to  hope  that  his  sins  will  be 
buried  with  him  in  the  tomb,  but  they  must  be  recorded 
in  his  epitaph.  His  misrepresentations  have  contributed 
to  the  continuance  of  the  war  with  America.  Examples 
are  necessary.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  all  will  not  escape 
into  the  grave  without  a  previous  appearance  either  on  a 
gibbet  or  a  scaffold." 

Governor  Bernard,  I  am  told,  died  last  fall.  I  wish 
that,  with  these  primary  instruments  of  the  calamities  that 
now  distress  almost  all  the  world,  the  evils  themselves 
may  come  to  an  end.  For  although  they  will  undoubtedly 
end  in  the  welfare  of  mankind,  arid  accomplish  the  benev 
olent  designs  of  Providence  towards  the  two  worlds,  yet 
for  the  present  they  are  not  joyous  but  grievous.  May 
Heaven  permit  you  and  me  to  enjoy  the  cool  evening  of 
life  in  tranquillity,  undisturbed  by  the  cares  of  politics  or 
war,  and  above  all,  with  the  sweetest  of  all  reflections,  that 
neither  ambition  nor  vanity  nor  avarice  nor  malice  nor  envy 
nor  revenge  nor  fear  nor  any  base  motive  or  sordid  pas 
sion,  through  the  whole  course  of  this  mighty  revolution, 
and  the  rapid,  impetuous  course  of  great  and  terrible 
events  that  have  attended  it,  have  drawn  us  aside  from 
the  line  of  our  duty  and  the  dictates  of  our  consciences. 
Let  us  have  ambition  enough  to  keep  our  simplicity  or 
frugality,  and  our  integrity,  and  transmit  these  virtues  as 
the  fairest  of  inheritances  to  our  children. 

267.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

Sunday  Evening,  16  July,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  had  just  returned  to  my  cham 
ber  and  taken  up  my  pen  to  congratulate  you  ,upon  the 


384  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [July, 

arrival  of  the  fleet  of  our  allies  at  Newport,  when  I  was 
called  down  to  receive  the  most  agreeable  of  presents,  — 
letters  from  my  dearest  friend.  One  bearing  date  March 
28th,  by  Mr.  Izard,  and  one  of  May  3d,  taken  out  of  the 
post-office  ;  but  to  what  port  they  arrived  first  I  know  not. 
They  could  not  be  those  by  the  fleet,  as  in  these  you  make 
mention  of  letters  which  I  have  not  yet  received,  nor  by^ 
the  Alliance,  since  Mr.  Williams  sailed  twenty-five  days 
after  the  fleet,  and  she  was  then  in  France.  A  pity,  I 
think,  that  she  should  stay  there  when  here  we  are  almost 
destitute.  Our  navy  has  been  unfortunate  indeed.  I  am 
sorry  to  find  that  only  a  few  lines  have  reached  you  from 
me.  I  have  written  by  way  of  Spain,  Holland,  and  Sweden, 
but  not  one  single  direct  conveyance  have  I  had  to  France 
since  you  left  me.  I  determine  to  open  a  communication 
by  way  of  Gardoqui,  and  wish  you  would  make  use  of  the 
same  conveyance. 

What  shall  I  say  of  our  political  affairs  ?  Shall  I  exclaim 
at  measures  now  impossible  to  remedy  ?  No.  I  will  hope 
all  from  the  generous  aid  of  our  allies,  in  concert  with  our 
own  exertions.  I  am  not  suddenly  elated  or  depressed.  I 
know  America  capable  of  anything  she  undertakes  with 
spirit  and  vigor.  "  Brave  in  distress,  serene  in  conquest, 
drowsy  when  at  rest,"  is  her  true  characteristic.  Yet  I 
deprecate  a  failure  in  our  present  effort.  The  efforts  are 
great,  and  we  give,  this  campaign,  more  than  half  our 
property  to  defend  the  other.  He  who  tarries  from  the 
field  cannot  possibly  earn  sufficient  at  home  to  reward  him 
who  takes  it.  Yet,  should  Heaven  bless  our  endeavors, 
and  crown  this  year  with  the  blessings  of  peace,  no  exer 
tion  will  be  thought  too  great,  no  price  of  property  too  dear. 
My  whole  soul  is  absorbed  in  the  idea.  The  honor  of  my 
dearest  friend,  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  this  wide-ex 
tended  country,  ages  yet  unborn,  depend  for  their  happi 
ness  and  security  upon  the  able  and  skillful,  the  honest  and 
upright,  discharge  of  the  important  trust  committed  to  him. 
It  would  not  become  me  to  write  the  full  flow  of  my  heart 
upon  this  occasion.  My  constant  petition  for  him  is  that 
he  may  so  discharge  the  trust  reposed  in  him  as  to  merit 


1780.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  385 

the  approving  eye  of  Heaven,  and  peace,  liberty,  and  safety 
crown  his  latest  years  in  his  own  native  land. 

The  Marchioness,  at  the  Abbe  Raynal's,  is  not  the  only 
lady  who  joins  an  approving  voice  to  that  of  her  country, 
though  at  the  expense  of  her  present  domestic  happiness. 
It  is  easier  to  admire  virtue  than  to  practice  it ;  especially 
the  great  virtue  of  self-denial.  I  find  but  few  sympathizing 
souls.  Why  should  I  look  for  them  ?  since  few  have  any 
souls,  but  of  the  sensitive  kind.  That  nearest  allied  to  my 
own  they  have  taken  from  me,  and  tell  me  honor  and  fame 
are  a  compensation. 

"  Fame,  wealth,  or  honor,  —  what  are  ye  to  love?  " 

But  hushed  be  my  pen.  Let  me  cast  my  eye  upon  the 
letters  before  me.  What  is  the  example  ?  I  follow  it  in 
silence.  I  have  repeated  to  you  in  former  letters  that  I  had 
received  all  your  letters  from  Spain,  unless  you  wrote  by 
Captain  Trask,  who  brought  me  some  articles,  but  no  letters. 
My  father  desires  to  be  remembered  to  you,  but  will,  I  fear, 
never  again  see  you.  He  declines  daily  ;  has  a  slow  fever 
hanging  about  him,  which  wastes  his  flesh  and  spirits. 
These  are  tender  ties,  and  how  far  soever  advanced  in  life, 
the  affectionate  child  feels  loath  to  part  with  the  guide  of 
youth,  the  kind  adviser  of  riper  years.  Yet  the  pillars 
must  moulder  with  time,  and  the  fabric  fall  to  the  dust. 

Present  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Dana.  Tell  him  I  have 
called  upon  his  lady,  and  we  enjoyed  an  afternoon  of  sweet 
communion.  I  find  she  would  not  be  averse  to  taking  a 
voyage,  should  he  be  continued  abroad.  She  groans  most 
bitterly,  and  is  irreconcilable  to  his  absence.  I  am  a  mere 
philosopher  to  her.  I  am  inured,  but  not  hardened,  to  the 
painful  portion.  Shall  I  live  to  see  it  otherwise  ? 

Your  letters  are  always  valuable  to  me,  but  more  partic 
ularly  so  when  they  close  with  an  affectionate  assurance  of 
regard,  which,  though  I  do  not  doubt,  is  never  repeated 
without  exciting  the  tenderest  sentiments  ;  and  never  omit 
ted  without  pain  to  the  affectionate  bosom  of  your 

PORTIA. 
25 


386  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  rSeotember, 

268.  JOHN., ADAMS. 

Amsterdam,  15  September,  1780. 

MY  DEAR  PORTIA,  —  I  wish  you  to  write  me  by  every 
opportunity  to  this  place  as  well  as  to  France.  It  seems 
as  if  I  never  should  get  any  more  letters  from  America.  I 
have  sent  you  some  things  by  Captain  Davis,  but  he  has 
no  arms,  and  I  fear  they  will  be  lost  by  capture.  I  sent 
things  by  the  Alliance. 

The  country  where  I  am  is  the  greatest  curiosity  in  the 
world.  This  nation  is  not  known  anywhere,  not  even  by 
its  neighbors.  The  Dutch  language  is  spoken  by  none  but 
themselves.  Therefore  they  converse  with  nobody,  and 
nobody  converses  with  them.  The  English  are  a  great 
nation,  and  they  despise  the  Dutch  because  they  are  smaller. 
The  French  are  a  greater  nation  still,  and  therefore  they 
despise  the  Dutch  because  they  are  still  smaller  in  compari 
son  to  them.  But  I  doubt  much  whether  there  is  any 
nation  of  Europe  more  estimable  than  the  Dutch  in  propor 
tion.  Their  industry  and  economy  ought  to  be  examples 
to  the  world.  They  have  less  ambition,  I  mean  that  of 
conquest  and  military  glory,  than  their  neighbors,  but  I 
don't  perceive  that  they  have  more  avarice.  And  they 
carry  learning  and  arts,  I  think,  to  greater  extent.  The 
collections  of  curiosities,  public  and  private,  are  innumer 
able. 

I  am  told  that  Mr.  Searle  is  arrived  at  Brest ;  but  I 
have  learned  nothing  from  him  as  yet,  nor  do  I  know  his 
destination.  The  French  and  Spanish  fleets  have  made  a 
sweep  of  sixty  upon  the  English  East  India  and  West  India 
fleets.  This  must  have  great  effects.  We  are  all  well. 
Don't  expect  peace.  The  English  have  not  yet  forgotten 
the  acquisition  of  Charleston,  for  which  they  are  making  the 
most  childish  exultations.  The  new  Parliament  will  give 
ministry  a  run.  Mark  my  words,  you  will  have  no  peace 
but  what  you  give  yourselves  by  destroying,  root  and  branch, 
all  the  British  force  in  America.  The  English  cannot  bear 
the  thought  that  France  should  dictate  the  terms  of  peace, 
as  they  call  it.  They  say  they  must  make  a  dishonorable 
peace  now,  a  shameful  peace,  a  degrading  peace.  This  is 


1780.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  387 

worse  than  death  to  them,  and  thus  they  will  go  on,  until 
they  are  forced  to  sue  for  a  peace  still  more  shameful  and 
humiliating. 

269.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

15  October,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  closed  a  long  letter  to  you 
only  two  days  ago,  but  as  no  opportunity  is  omitted  by  me, 
I  embrace  this,  as  Colonel  Fleury  was  kind  enough  to  write 
me  on  purpose,  from  Newport,  to  inform  me  of  it,  and  to 
promise  a  careful  attention  to  it.  Yet  I  feel  doubtful  of  its 
safety.  The  enemy  seems  to  be  collecting  a  prodigious 
force  into  these  seas,  and  is  bent  upon  the  destruction  of 
our  allies.  We  are  not  a  little  anxious  for  them,  and  can 
not  but  wonder  that  they  are  not  yet  reinforced.  Graves's 
fleet,  Arbuthnot's,  and  Rodney's,  all  here ;  with  such  a 
superiority,  can  it  be  matter  of  surprise  if  M.  de  Ternay 
should  fall  a  sacrifice  ?  My  own  mind,  I  own,  is  full  of 
apprehension  ;  yet  I  trust  we  shall  not  be  delivered  over 
to  the  vengeance  of  a  nation  more  wicked  and  perverse 
than  our  own.  We  daily  experience  the  correcting  and  the 
defending  arm.  The  inclosed  papers  will  give  you  the  par 
ticulars  of  an  infernal  plot,  and  the  providential  discovery 
of  it.  For,  however  the  belief  of  a  particular  Providence 
may  be  exploded  by  the  modern  wits,  and  the  infidelity  of 
too  many  of  the  rising  generation  deride  the  idea,  yet  the 
virtuous  mind  will  look  up  and  acknowledge  the  great 
First  Cause,  without  whose  notice  not  even  a  sparrow  falls 
to  the  ground. 

I  am  anxious  to  hear  from  you.  Your  last  letter,  which 
I  have  received,  was  dated  June  17th.  I  have  written 
you  repeatedly,  that  my  trunk  was  not  put  on  board  the 
Alliance  ;  that  poor  vessel  was  the  sport  of  more  than  winds 
and  waves.  The  conduct  with  regard  to  her  is  considered 
is  very  extraordinary.  She  came  to  Boston,  as  you  have 
no  doubt  heard.  Landais  is  suspended.  The  man  must  be 
new-made  before  he  can  be  entitled  to  command.  I  hope 
Captain  Sampson  arrived  safe.  He  carried  the  resolve  of 
Congress  which  you  wanted. 


388  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December. 

You  tell  me  to  send  you  prices  current.  I  will  aim  at  it. 
Corn  is  now  thirty  pounds,  rye  twenty-seven,  per  bushel. 
Flour  from  a  hundred  and  forty  to  a  hundred  and  thirty 
per  hundred.  Beef,  eight  dollars  per  pound  ;  mutton,  nine  ; 
lamb,  six,  seven,  and  eight.  Butter,  twelve  dollars  per 
pound  ;  cheese,  ten.  Sheep's  wool,  thirty  dollars  per  pound  ; 
flax,  twenty.  West  India  articles  :  sugar,  from  a  hundred 
and  seventy  to  two  hundred  pounds  per  hundred  ;  molasses, 
forty-eight  dollars  per  gallon  ;  tea,  ninety  ;  coffee,  twelve  ; 
cotton-wool,  thirty  per  pound.  Exchange  from  seventy  to 
seventy-five  for  hard  money.  Bills  at  fifty.  Money  scarce; 
plenty  of  goods  ;  enormous  taxes.  Our  State  affairs  are 
thus.  Hancock  will  be  Governor,  by  a  very  great  majority ; 
the  Senate  will  have  to  choose  the  Lieutenant-governor. 
Our  constitution  is  read  with  great  admiration  in  New 
York,  and  pronounced  by  the  Royal  Governor  the  best  re 
publican  form  he  ever  saw,  but  with  sincere  hopes  that  it 
might  not  be  accepted.  How  will  it  be  administered  ?  is 
now  the  important  question. 

The  report  of  the  day  is  that  three  thousand  troops  are 
arrived  at  New  York  from  England. 

Adieu  !  Most  affectionately  yours. 

270.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Amsterdam,  18  December,  1780. 

MY  DEAREST  PORTIA,  —  I  have  this  morning  sent  Mr. 
Thaxter  with  my  two  sons  to  Ley  den,  there  to  take  up 
their  residence  for  some  time,  and  there  to  pursue  their 
studies  of  Latin  and  Greek  under  the  excellent  masters, 
and  there  to  attend  lectures  of  the  celebrated  professors 
in  that  university.  It  is  much  cheaper  there  than  here. 
The  air  is  infinitely  purer,  and  the  company  and  conver 
sation  are  better.  It  is  perhaps  as  learned  a  University  as 
any  in  Europe. 

I  should  not  wish  to  have  children  educated  in  the  com 
mon  schools  in  this  country,  where  a  littleness  of  soul  is 
notorious.  The  masters  are  mean-spirited  wretches,  pinch- 
'ng,  kicking,  and  boxing  the  children  upon  every  turn. 
There  is  besides  a  general  littleness  arising  from  the  in- 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  389 

cessaut  contemplation  of  stivers  and  duits,  which  pervades 
the  whole  people.  Frugality  and  industry  are  virtues 
everywhere,  but  avarice  and  stinginess  are  not  frugality. 
The  Dutch  say  that  without  a  habit  of  thinking  of  every 
duit  before  you  spend  it,  no  man  can  be  a  good  merchant, 
or  conduct  trade  with  success.  This  I  believe  is  a  just 
maxim  in  general,  but  I  would  never  wish  to  see  a  son  of 
mine  govern  himself  by  it.  It  is  the  sure  and  certain  way 
for  an  industrious  man  to  be  rich.  It  is  the  only  possible 
way  for  a  merchant  to  become  the  first  merchant  or  the 
richest  man  in  the  place.  But  this  is  an  object  that  I  hope 
none  of  my  children  will  ever  aim  at.  It  is  indeed  true, 
everywhere,  that  those  who  attend  to  small  expenses  are 
always  rich. 

I  would  have  my  children  attend  to  duits  and  farthings 
as  devoutly  as  the  merest  Dutchman  upon  earth,  if  such 
attention  was  necessary  to  support  their  independence.  A 
man  who  discovers  a  disposition  and  a  design  to  be  inde 
pendent  seldom  succeeds.  A  jealousy  arises  against  him. 
The  tyrants  are  alarmed  on  one  side  lest  he  should  oppose 
them.  The  slaves  are  alarmed  on  the  other  lest  he  should 
expose  their  servility.  The  cry  from  all  quarters  is,  "  He 
is  the  proudest  man  in  the  world.  He  cannot  bear  to  be 
under  obligation."  I  never  in  my  life  observed  any  one 
endeavoring  to  lay  me  under  particular  obligations  to  him, 
but  I  suspected  he  had  a  design  to  make  me  his  dependent, 
and  to  have  claims  upon  my  gratitude.  This  I  should 
have  no  objection  to,  because  gratitude  is  always  in  one's 
power.  But  the  danger  is  that  men  will  expect  and  re 
quire  more  of  us  than  honor  and  innocence  and  rectitude 
will  permit  us  to  perform. 

In  our  country,  however,  any  man,  with  common  in 
dustry  and  prudence,  may  be  independent.  But  to  put  an 
end  to  this  stuff,  adieu  —  most  affectionately  adieu. 

271.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

28  January,  1781. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Last  evening  General  Lincoln 
called  here,  introducing  to  me  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of 


390  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [January, 

Colonel  Laurens,  the  son,  as  I  suppose,  of  your  much  es 
teemed  friend,  the  late  President  of  Congress  ;  who  in 
formed  me  that  he  expected  to  sail  for  France  in  a  few 
days,  and  would  take  dispatches  from  me.  Although  I 
closed  letters  to  you,  by  way  of  Holland,  a  few  days  ago,  I 
would  not  omit  so  good  an  opportunity  as  the  present. 
'T  is  a  long  time  since  the  date  of  your  last  letters,  the 
25th  of  September.  I  wait  with  much  anxiety,  listening 
to  the  sound  of  every  gun,  but  none  announce  the  arrival 
of  the  Fame,  from  Holland,  which  we  greatly  fear  is  taken 
or  lost,  or  the  Mars,  from  France.  Colonel  Laurens  is 
enabled,  I  suppose,  to  give  you  every  kind  of  intelligence 
respecting  the  army,  which  you  may  wish  to  learn.  Mr. 
Cranch  has  written  you  upon  the  same  subject  by  way  of 
Holland.  Your  friends  here  complain  that  you  do  not 
write  to  them.  I  suppose  Davis  threw  over  half  a  hundred 
letters.  If  you  are  unfortunate  in  that  way,  it  is  not  to  be 
helped. 

I  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  a  repeal  of  the 
obnoxious  tender  act  has  passed  the  House  and  Senate. 
The  Governor,  as  has  been  heretofore  predicted,  when  any 
thing  not  quite  popular  is  in  agitation,  has  the  gout,  and  is 
confined  to  his  bed.  A  false  weight  and  a  false  balance 
are  an  abomination,  and  in  that  light  this  tender  act  must 
be  viewed  by  every  impartial  person.  Who,  but  an  idiot, 
would  believe  that  forty  were  equal  to  seventy-five  ?  But 
the  repeal  gives  us  reason  to  hope  that  justice  and  right 
eousness  will  again  exalt  our  nation  ;  that  public  faith 
will  be  restored  ;  that  individuals  will  lend  to  the  public ; 
and  that  the  heavy  taxes,  which  now  distress  all  orders, 
will  be  lessened. 

A  late  committee,  who  have  been  sitting  upon  ways  and 
means  for  raising  money,  tell  us  that  a  tax  for  two  years 
more,  equal  to  what  we  have  paid  in  the  last,  would  clear 
this  State  of  debt.  You  may  judge  of  the  weight  of  them ; 
yet  our  State  taxes  are  but  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
when  compared  with  our  town  taxes.  Clinton,  I  hear,  has 
sent  out  a  proclamation  upon  Germain's  plan,  inviting  the 
people  to  make  a  separate  peace,  which  will  only  be  a  new 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  391 

proof  of  the  ignorance  and  folly  of  our  enemies,  without 
making  a  single  proselyte.  Even  the  revolted  Pennsylva 
nia  troops  gave  up  to  justice  the  spies  whom  Clinton  sent 
to  them,  offering  them  clothing  and  pay,  letting  him  know 
that  it  was  justice  from  their  State,  not  favors  from  their 
enemies,  which  they  wanted. 

It  is  reported  that  Arnold,  with  a  body  of  troops,  is 
gone  to  Virginia,  where  it  is  hoped  he  and  his  Myrmidons 
will  meet  their  fate.  Had  Clinton  been  a  generous  enemy, 
or  known  human  nature,  he  would,  like  Aurelian,  upon  a 
like  occasion,  have  given  up  the  traitor  to  the  hands  of 
justice  ;  knowing  that  it  was  in  vain  to  expect  fidelity  in  a 
man  who  had  betrayed  his  own  country,  which,  from  his 
defection,  may  learn  to  place  a  higher  value  upon  integrity 
and  virtue  than  upon  a  savage  ferocity,  so  often  mistaken 
for  courage.  He  who,  as  an  individual,  is  cruel,  unjust, 
and  immoral,  will  not  be  likely  to  possess  the  virtues  nec 
essary  in  a  general  or  statesman.  Yet  in  our  infant  coun 
try,  infidelity  and  debauchery  are  so  fashionably  prevalent 
that  less  attention  is  paid  to  the  characters  of  those  who 
fill  important  offices,  than  a  love  of  virtue  and  zeal  for 
public  liberty  can  warrant;  which,  we  are  told  by  wise 
legislators  of  old,  are  the  surest  preservatives  of  public 
happiness. 

You  observe  in  a  late  letter  that  your  absence  from 
your  native  State  will  deprive  you  of  an  opportunity  of 
being  a  man  of  importance  in  it.  I  hope  you  are  doing 
your  country  more  extensive  service  abroad  than  you 
could  have  done  had  you  been  confined  to  one  State  only ; 
and  whilst  you  continue  in  the  same  estimation  among 
your  fellow-citizens  in  which  you  are  now  held,  you  will 
not  fail  of  being  of  importance  to  them  at  home  or  abroad. 

Heaven  preserve  the  life  and  health  of  my  dear  absent 
friend,  and,  in  its  own  time,  return  him  to  his  country  and 
to  the  arms  of  his  ever  affectionate  PORTIA. 

P.  S.  Love  to  my  dear  boys.  I  have  sent  you  a  pres 
ent  by  Colonel  Laureus. 


392  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

272.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

25  May,  1781. 

IN  this  beautiful  month,  when  nature  wears  her  gayest 
garb,  and  animal  and  vegetable  life  is  diffused  on  every 
side,  when  the  cheerful  hand  of  industry  is  laying  a  founda 
tion  for  a  plentiful  harvest,  who  can  forbear  to  rejoice  in 
the  season,  or  refrain  from  looking  "  through  nature  up  to 
nature's  God;" 

"  To  feel  the  present  Deity,  and  taste 
The  joy  of  God,  to  see  a  happy  world." 

While  my  heart  expands,  it,  sighing,  seeks  its  associate, 
and  joins  its  first  parent  in  that  beautiful  description  of 
Milton  :  — 

"  Sweet  is  the  breath  of  Morn,  her  rising  sweet, 
With  charm  of  earliest  birds;  pleasant  the  sun, 
When  first  on  this  delightful  land  he  spreads 
His  orient  beams  on  herb,  tree,  fruit,  and  flower, 
Glistering  with  dew;  fragrant  the  fertile  earth 
After  soft  showers;  and  sweet  the  coining  on 
Of  grateful  Evening  mild ;  then  silent  Night 
With  this  her  solemn  bird,  and  this  fair  moon, 
And  these  the  gems  of  heaven,  her  starry  train : 
But  neither  breath  of  morn  when  she  ascends 
With  charm  of  earliest  birds ;  nor  rising  sun 
On  this  delightful  land ;  nor  herb,  fruit,  flower, 
Glistering  with  dew;  nor  fragrance  after  showers; 
Nor  grateful  Evening  mild ;  nor  silent  Night 
With  this  her  solemn  bird,  nor  walk  by  moon, 
Or  glittering  starlight,  without  thee  is  sweet." 

This  passage  has  double  charms  for  me,  painted  by  the 
hand  of  truth ;  and  for  the  same  reason  that  a  dear  friend 
of  mine,  after  having  viewed  a  profusion  of  beautiful  pic 
tures,  pronounced  that  which  represented  the  parting  of 
Hector  and  Andromache  to  be  worth  them  all.  The  jour 
nal  in  which  this  is  mentioned  does  not  add  any  reason  why 
it  was  so ;  but  Portia  felt  its  full  force,  and  paid  a  grateful 
tear  to  the  acknowledgment. 

This  day,  my  dear  friend,  completes  eight  months  since 
the  date  of  your  last  letter,  and  five  since  it  was  received. 
You  may  judge  of  my  anxiety.  I  doubt  not  but  you  have 
written  many  times  since,  but  Mars,  Bellona,  arid  Old  Nep 
tune  are  in  league  against  me.  I  think  you  must  still  be 
in  Holland,  from  whence  no  vessels  have  arrived  since  the 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  893 

declaration  of  war.  There  are  some  late  arrivals  from 
France,  but  no  private  letters.  I  have  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  of  the  safety  of  several  vessels  which  went  from 
hence,  by  which  I  wrote  to  you,  so  that  I  have  reason  to 
think  I  have  communicated  pleasure,  though  I  have  not 
been  a  partaker  in  the  same  way. 

This  will  be  delivered  to  you  by  Mr.  Storer,  who  is 
going  first  to  Denmark,  and  who  designs  to  tarry  abroad 
some  time.  If  you  had  been  a  resident  in  your  own  coun 
try,  it  would  have  been  needless  for  me  to  have  told  you 
that  Mr.  Storer  is  a  gentleman  of  fair  character,  I  need 
not  add,  of  amiable  manners,  as  these  are  so  discoverable 
iii  him  upon  the  slightest  acquaintance. 

We  are  anxiously  waiting  for  intelligence  from  abroad. 
We  shall  have  in  the  field  a  more  respectable  army  than 
has  appeared  there  since  the  commencement  of  the  war  ; 
and  all  raised  for  three  years  or  during  the  war,  most  of 
them  men  who  have  served  before.  The  towns  have  ex 
erted  themselves  upon  this  occasion  with  a  spirit  becoming 
patriots. 

We  wish  for  a  naval  force,  superior  to  what  we  have 
yet  had,  to  act  in  concert  with  our  army.  We  have  been 
flattered  from  day  to  day,  yet  none  has  arrived.  The  en 
emy  exults  in  the  delay,  and  is  improving  the  time  to  rav 
age  Carolina  and  Virginia. 

We  hardly  know  what  to  expect  from  the  United  Prov 
inces,  because  we  are  not  fully  informed  of  their  disposi 
tion.  Britain  has  struck  a  blow,  by  the  capture  of  Eus- 
tatia,  sufficient  to  arouse  and  unite  them  against  her,  if 
there  still  exists  that  spirit  of  liberty  which  shone  so  con 
spicuous  in  their  ancestors,  and  which,  under  much  greater 
difficulties,  led  their  hardy  forefathers  to  reject  the  tyranny 
of  Philip.  I  wish  your  powers  may  extend  to  an  alliance 
with  them,  and  that  you  may  be  as  successful  against  the 
artifices  of  Britain  as  a  former  ambassador  was  against 
those  of  another  nation,  when  he  negotiated  a  triple  alli 
ance  in  the  course  of  five  days,  with  an  address  which  has 
ever  done  honor  to  his  memory.  If  I  was  not  so  nearly 
connected,  I  should  add  that  there  is  no  small  similarity  in 


394  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [May, 

the  character  of  my  friend  and  the  gentleman,  whose  mem 
oirs  I  have  read  with  great  pleasure. 

Our  State  affairs  I  will  write  you,  if  the  vessel  does 
not  sail  till  after  election.  Our  friend  Mr.  Cranch  goes 
from  here  representative,  by  a  unanimous  vote.  Dr. 
Tufts,  of  Wey mouth,  is  chosen  senator.  Our  Governor 
and  Lieutenant-governor,  as  at  the  beginning.  Our  poor 
old  currency  is  breathing  its  last  gasp.  It  received  a 
most  fatal  wound  from  a  collection  of  near  the  whole 
body's  entering  here  from  the  southward;  having  been  in 
formed  that  it  was  treated  here  with  more  respect,  and 
that  it  could  purchase  a  solid  and  durable  dress  here  for 
seventy-Jive  paper  dollars,  but  half  the  expense  it  must  be 
at  there,  it  travelled  here  with  its  whole  train ;  and,  being 
much  debauched  in  its  manners,  communicated  the  conta 
gion  all  of  a  sudden,  and  is  universally  rejected.  It  has 
given  us  a  great  shock.  Mr.  Storer  can  give  you  more 
information. 

I  have  by  two  or  three  opportunities  acquainted  you 
that  I  received  the  calicoes  you  ordered  for  me,  by  Samp 
son,  though,  many  of  them  were  much  injured  by  being 
wet.  I  have  not  got  my  things  yet  from  Philadelphia.  I 
have  acquainted  you  with  my  misfortune  there,  owing  to 
the  bad  package.  I  have  no  invoice  or  letter  from  Mr. 
Moylan,  though  I  have  reason  to  think  many  things  have 
been  stolen,  as  all  Dr.  Tufts's  are  missing,  and  several  of 
mine,  according  to  Mr.  Lovell's  invoice,  who  was  obliged 
to  unpack  what  remained  and  dry  them  by  a  lire,  most  of 
them  much  damaged. 

To  my  dear  sons  I  shall  write  "by  this  opportunity.  I 
have  not  received  a  line  from  them  for  this  twelvemonth. 
I  hope  they  continue  to  behave  worthy  the  esteem  of 
everybody,  which  will  never  fail  to  communicate  the  great 
est  pleasure  to  their  affectionate  parents.  I  inclosed  an 
invoice  of  a  few  articles  by  Captain  Brown.  I  will  repeat 
it  here.  Everything  in  the  goods  way  will  be  an  accept 
able  remittance  to 

Your  ever  affectionate  PORTIA. 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  395 

273.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS  TO  JOHN  QUIXCY  ADAMS. 

Braintree,  26  May,  1781. 

MY  DEAR  JOHN,  —  I  hope  this  letter  will  be  more  for 
tunate  than  yours  have  been  of  late.  I  know  you  must 
have  written  many  times  since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  re 
ceiving  a  line  from  you,  for  this  month  completes  a  year 
since  the  date  of  your  last  letter.  Not  a  line  from  you  or 
my  dear  Charles  since  you  arrived  in  Holland,  where  I 
suppose  you  still  are.  I  never  was  more  anxious  to  hear, 
yet  not  a  single  vessel  arrives  from  that  port,  though  sev 
eral  are  looked  for. 

I  would  recommend  it  to  you  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  history  of  that  country,  as  in  many  respects  it  is  simi 
lar  to  the  Revolution  of  your  own.  Tyranny  and  oppres 
sion  were  the  original  causes  of  the  revolt  of  both  coun 
tries.  It  is  from  a  wide  and  extensive  view  of  mankind 
that  a  just  and  true  estimate  can  be  formed  of  the  powers 
of  human  nature.  She  appears  ennobled  or  deformed,  as 
religion,  government,  laws,  and  custom  guide  or  direct  her. 
Fierce,  rude,  and  savage  in  the  uncultivated  desert ;  gloomy, 
bigoted,  and  superstitious  where  truth  is  veiled  in  obscurity 
and  mystery ;  ductile,  pliant,  elegant,  and  refined,  you 
have  seen  her  in  that  dress,  as  well  as  in  the  active,  bold, 
hardy,  and  intrepid  garb  of  your  own  country. 

Inquire  of  the  historic  page,  and  let  your  own  observa 
tions  second  the  inquiry,  Whence  arises  the  difference  ?  and 
when  compared,  learn  to  cultivate  those  dispositions,  and  to 
practice  those  virtues,  which  tend  most  to  the  benefit  and 
happiness  of  mankind. 

The  great  Author  of  our  religion  frequently  inculcated 
universal  benevolence,  and  taught  us  both  by  precept  and 
example,  when  He  promulgated  peace  and  good-will  to 
man,  a  doctrine  very  different  from  that  which  actuates 
the  hostile  invaders  and  the  cruel  ravagers  of  mighty  king 
doms  and  nations. 

I  hope  you  will  be  very  particular,  when  you  write,  and 
let  me  know  how  you  have  passed  your  time  in  the  course 
of  the  year  past. 

Your  favorable  account  of  yotir  brother  gave  me  great 


FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

pleasure,  not  only  as  it  convinced  me  that  he  continues  to 
cultivate  that  agreeable  disposition  of  mind  and  heart 
which  so  greatly  endeared  him  to  his  friends  here,  but  as 
it  was  a  proof  of  the  brotherly  love  and  affection  of  a 
son  not  less  dear  to  his  parents. 

I  shall  write  to  your  brother,  so  shall  only  add  the  sin 
cere  wishes  for  your  improvement  and  happiness  of 
Your  ever  affectionate  MOTHER. 


274. 

Amsterdam,  2  December,  1781. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Your  favors  of  September  29 
and  October  21  are  before  rne.  I  avoided  saying  anything 
about  Charles  to  save  you  the  anxiety  which  I  fear  you 
will  now  feel  in  its  greatest  severity  a  long  time.  I 
thought  he  would  go  directly  home  in  a  short  passage  in 
the  best  opportunity  which  would  probably  ever  present. 
But  I  am  disappointed.  Charles  is  at  Bilbao  with  Major 
Jackson  and  Colonel  Trumbull,  who  take  the  best  care  of 
his  education,  as  well  as  his  health  and  behavior.  They 
are  to  go  hence  with  Captain  Hill  in  a  good  vessel  of 
twenty  guns.  Charles's  health  was  so  much  affected  by 
this  tainted  atmosphere,  and  he  had  set  his  heart  so  much 
upon  going  home  with  Gillon,  that  it  would  have  broken 
it  to  have  refused  him.  I  desire  I  may  never  again  have 
the  weakness  to  bring  a  child  to  Europe.  They  are  in 
finitely  better  at  home.  We  have  all  been  sick  here,  my 
self,  Mr.  Thaxter,  Stevens,  and  another  servant,  but  are  all 
better.  Mr.  Thaxter's  indisposition  has  been  slight  and 
short,  mine  and  Stevens's  long  and  severe. 

I  beg  you  would  not  flatter  yourself  with  hopes  of 
peace.  There  will  be  no  such  thing  for  several  years. 
Don't  distress  yourself  neither  about  any  malicious  at 
tempts  to  injure  me  in  the  estimation  of  my  countrymen. 
Let  them  take  their  course  and  go  the  length  of  their 
tether.  They  will  never  hurt  your  husband,  whose  char 
acter  is  fortified  with  a  shield  of  innocence  and  honor  ten 
thousand  fold  stronger  than  brass  or  iron.  The  contempt 
ible  essays  made  by  you  know  who  will  only  tend  to  his 


1781.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  397 

own  confusion.  My  letters  have  shown  them  their  own 
ignorance,  a  sight  they  could  not  bear.  Say  as  little 
about  it  as  I  do.  It  has  already  brought  them  into  the 
true  system,  and  that  system  is  triumphant.  I  laugh  and 
will  laugh  before  all  posterity  at  their  impotent  rage  and 
envy.  They  could  not  help  blushing,  themselves,  if  they 
were  to  review  their  conduct. 

Dear  Tom,  thy  letter  does  thee  much  honor.  Thy 
brother  Charles  shall  teach  thee  French  and  Dutch  at 
home.  I  wish  I  could  get  time  to  correspond  with  thee 
and  thy  sister  more  regularly,  but  I  cannot.  I  must 
trust  Providence  and  thine  excellent  mamma  for  the  edu 
cation  of  my  children.  Mr.  Dana  and  our  son  are  well  at 
Petersburg.  Hayden  has  some  things  for  you.  I  hope 
he  is  arrived.  I  am  sorry  to  learn  you  have  a  sum  of 
paper.  How  could  you  be  so  imprudent  ?  You  must  be 
frugal,  I  assure  you.  Your  children  will  be  poorly  off.  I 
can  but  barely  live  in  the  manner  that  is  indispensably  de 
manded  of  me  by  everybody.  Living  is  dear  indeed  here. 
My  children  will  not  be  so  well  left  by  their  father  as  he 
was  by  his.  They  will  be  infected  with  the  examples  and 
habits  and  tastes  for  expensive  living  without  the  means. 
He  was  not.  My  children  shall  never  have  the  smallest 
soil  of  dishonor  or  disgrace  brought  upon  them  by  their 
father,  no,  not  to  please  ministers,  kings,  or  nations.  At 
the  expense  of  a  little  of  this,  my  children  might  perhaps 
ride  at  their  ease  through  life,  but  dearly  as  I  love  them, 
they  shall  live  in  the  service  of  their  country,  in  her  navy, 
her  army,  or  even  out  of  "either  in  the  extremest  degree  of 
poverty,  before  I  will  depart  in  the  smallest  iota  from  my 
sentiments  of  honor  and  delicacy ;  for  I,  even  I,  have  sen 
timents  of  delicacy  as  exquisite  as  the  proudest  minister 
that  ever  served  a  monarch.  They  may  not  be  exactly 
like  those  of  some  ministers. 

I  beg  you  would  excuse  me  to  my  dear  friends,  to  whom 
I  cannot  write  so  often  as  I  wish.  I  have  indispensable 
duties  which  take  up  all  my  time,  and  require  more  than  I 
have. 

General  Washington    has    done   me    great   honor    and 


398  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

much  public  service  by  sending  me  authentic  accounts  of 
his  own  and  General  Greene's  last  great  actions.  They 
are  in  the  way  to  negotiate  peace.  It  lies  wholly  with 
them.  No  other  ministers  but  they  and  their  colleagues 
in  the  army  can  accomplish  the  great  event. 

I  am  keeping  house,  but  I  want  a  housekeeper.  What 
a  fine  affair  it  would  be,  if  we  could  flit  across  the  Atlan 
tic  as  they  say  the  angels  do  from  planet  to  planet  !  I 
would  dart  to  Penn's  hill  and  bring  you  over  on  my  wings  ; 
but,  alas,  we  must  keep  house  separately  for  some  time. 
But  one  thing  I  am  determined  on.  It'  God  should  please 
to  restore  me  once  more  to  your  fireside,  1  will  never  again 
leave  it  without  your  ladyship's  company  —  no,  not  even  to 
go  to  Congress  to  Philadelphia,  and  there  I  am  determined 
to  go,  if  I  can  make  interest  enough  to  get  chosen,  when 
ever  I  return.  I  would  give  a  million  sterling  that  you 
were  here;  and  I  could  afford  it  as  well  as  Great  Britain 
can  the  thirty  millions  she  must  spend,  the  ensuing  year, 
to  complete  her  own  ruin.  Farewell,  farewell. 

275.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

9  December,  1781. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  hear  the  Alliance  is  again  go 
ing  to  France,  with  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  and  the  Count 
de  Noailles.  I  will  not  envy  the  Marquis  the  pleasure  of 
annually  visiting  his  family,  considering  the  risk  he  runs  in 
doing  it ;  besides,  he  deserves  the  good  wishes  of  every 
American,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  honors  and  applause 
of  his  own  country.  He  returns  with  the  additional  merit 
of  laurels  won  at  Yorktown  by  the  capture  of  a  whole 
British  army.  America  may  boast  that  she  has  accom 
plished  what  no  power  before  her  ever  did,  contending  with 
Britain,  —  captured  two  of  their  celebrated  generals,  and 
each  with  an  army  of  thousands  of  veteran  troops  to  sup 
port  them.  This  event,  whilst  it  must  fill  Britain  with 
despondency,  will  draw  the  Union  already  framed  still 
closer  and  give  us  additional  allies ;  and,  if  properly  im 
proved,  will  render  a  negotiation  easier  and  more  advanta 
geous  to  America. 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  399 

But  I  cannot  reflect  much  upon  public  affairs  until  I 
have  unburdened  the  load  of  my  own  heart.  Where  shall 
I  begin  my  list  of  grievances  ?  Not  by  accusations,  but 
lamentations.  My  first  is  that  I  do  not  hear  from  you  ; 
a  few  lines  only,  dated  in  April  and  May,  have  come  to 
hand  for  fifteen  months.  You  do  not  mention  receiving 

O 

any  from  me  except  by  Captain  Casneau,  though  I  wrote 
by  Colonel  Laurens,  by  Captain  Brown,  by  Mr.  Storer, 
Dexter,  and  many  others  ;  to  Bilbao  by  Trask,  and  several 
times  by  way  of  France.  You  will  refer  me  to  Gillori,  I 
suppose.  Gillon  has  acted  a  base  part,  of  which,  no  doubt, 
you  are  long  ere  now  apprised.  You  had  great  reason  to 
suppose  that  he  would  reach  America  as  soon  or  sooner 
than  the  merchant  vessels,  and  placed  much  confidence  in 
him  by  the  treasure  you  permitted  to  go  on  board  of  him. 
Ah,  how  great  has  my  anxiety  been !  What  have  I  not 
suffered  since  I  heard  my  dear  Charles  was  on  board,  and 
no  intelligence  to  be  procured  of  the  vessel  for  four  months 
after  he  sailed.  Most  people  concluded  that  she  was  found 
ered  at  sea,  as  she  sailed  before  a  violent  storm.  Only 
three  weeks  ago  did  I  hear  the  contrary.  My  uncle  dis 
patched  a  messenger,  the  moment  a  vessel  from  Bilbao 
arrived  with  the  happy  tidings  that  she  was  safe  at  Co- 
runna  ;  that  the  passengers  had  all  left  the  ship  in  conse 
quence  of  Gillou's  conduct,  and  were  arrived  at  Bilbao. 
The  vessel  sailed  the  day  that  the  passengers  arrived  at 
Bilbao,  so  that  no  letters  came  by  Captain  Lovett ;  but  a 
Dr.  Sands  reports  that  he  saw  a  child,  who  they  told  him 
was  yours,  and  that  he  was  well.  This  was  a  cordial  to 
my  dejected  spirits.  I  know  not  what  to  wish  for.  Should 
he  attempt  to  come  at  this  season  upon  the  coast,  it  has 
more  horrors  than  I  have  fortitude.  I  am  still  distressed  ; 
I  must  resign  him  to  the  kind,  protecting  hand  of  that 
Being  who  hath  hitherto  preserved  him,  and  submit  to 
whatever  dispensation  is  allotted  me. 

What  is  the  matter  with  Mr.  Thaxter  ?  Has  he  forgot 
ten  all  his  American  friends,  that,  out  of  four  vessels  which 
have  arrived,  not  a  line  is  to  be  found  on  board  of  one  of 
them  from  him  ?  I  could  quarrel  with  the  climate,  but 


400  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

surely,  if  it  is  subject  to  the  ague,  there  is  a  fever  fit  as 
well  as  a  cold  one.  Mr.  Guild  tells  me  he  was  charged 
with  letters,  but  left  them,  with  his  other  things,  on  board 
the  frigate.  She  gave  him  the  slip  and  he  stepped  on 
board  of  Captain  Brown's  ship,  and  happily  arrived  safe. 
From  him  I  have  learned  many  things  respecting  my  dear 
connections  ;  but  still  I  long  for  that  free  communication 
which  I  see  but  little  prospect  of  obtaining.  Let  me  again 
entreat  you  to  write  by  way  of  Gardoqui.  Bilbao  is  as 
safe  a  conveyance  as  I  know  of.  Ah,  my  dear  John ! 
where  are  you  ?  In  so  remote  a  part  of  the  globe,  that  I 
fear  I  shall  not  hear  a  syllable  from  you.  Pray  write  me 
all  the  intelligence  you  get  from  him ;  send  me  his  letters 
to  you.  Do  you  know  I  have  not  had  a  line  from  him  for 
a  year  and  a  half  ?  Alas !  my  dear,  I  am  much  afflicted 
with  a  disorder  called  the  heartache,  nor  can  any  remedy 
be  found  in  America.  It  must  be  collected  from  Holland, 
Petersburg,  and  Bilbao. 

And  now,  having  recited  my  griefs  and  complaints,  the 
next  in  place  are  those  of  my  neighbors.  I  have  been  ap 
plied  to  by  the  parents  of  several  Braintree  youth  to  write 
to  you  in  their  behalf,  requesting  your  aid  and  assistance, 
if  it  is  in  your  power  to  afford  it.  Captain  Cathcart,  in  the 
privateer  Essex,  from  Salem,  went  out  on  a  cruise  last 
April  in  the  Channel  of  England,  and  was,  on  the  10th  of 
June,  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  taken  and  carried  into  Ireland. 
The  officers  were  confined  there,  but  the  sailors  were  sent 
prisoners  to  Plymouth  jail,  twelve  of  whom  are  from  this 
town,  a  list  of  whom  I  inclose.  The  friends  of  these  peo 
ple  have  received  intelligence  by  way  of  an  officer  who 
belonged  to  the  Protector,  and  who  escaped  from  the  jail, 
that  in  August  last  they  were  all  alive,  several  of  them 
very  destitute  of  clothing,  having  taken  but  a  few  with 
them  and  those  for  the  summer,  particularly  Ned  Savil  and 
Job  Field.  Their  request  is,  that,  if  you  can,  you  would 
render  them  some  assistance  ;  if  not  by  procuring  an  ex 
change,  that  you  would  get  them  supplied  with  necessary 
clothing.  I  have  told  them  that  you  would  do  all  in  your 
power  for  them,  but  what  that  would  be,  I  could  not  say. 


1781.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  401 

Their  friends  here  are  all  well,  many  of  them  greatly  dis 
tressed  for  their  children,  and  in  a  particular  manner  the 
mother  of  Josiah  Bass.-  I  wish  you  to  be  very  particular 
in  letting  me  know,  by  various  opportunities  and  ways  after 
the  receipt  of  this,  whether  you  have  been  able  to  do  any 
thing  for  them,  that  I  may  relieve  the  minds  of  these  dis 
tressed  parents.  The  Captain  got  home  about  three  months 
ago  by  escaping  to  France,  but  could  give  no  account  of 
his  men  after  they  were  taken. 

Two  years,  my  dearest  friend,  have  passed  away  since 
you  left  your  native  land.  Will  you  not  return  ere  the 
close  of  another  year  ?  I  will  purchase  you  a  retreat  in 
the  woods  of  Vermont,  and  retire  with  you  from  the  vexa 
tions,  toils,  and  hazards  of  public  life.  Do  you  not  some 
times  sigh  for  such  a  seclusion  ?  Public  peace  and  domes 
tic  happiness  ;  — 

"  An  elegant  sufficiency,  content, 
Retirement,  rural  quiet;  friendship,  books, 
Ease  and  alternate  labor;  useful  life, 
Progressive  virtue,  and  approving  Heaven." 

May  the  time,  the  happy  time,  soon  arrive  when  we  may 
realize  these  blessings,  so  elegantly  described  by  Thomson ; 
for,  though  many  of  our  countrymen  talk  in  a  different 
style  with  regard  to  their  intentions,  and  express  their 
wishes  to  see  you  in  a  conspicuous  point  of  view  in  your 
own  State,  I  feel  no  ambition  for  a  share  of  it.  I  know 
the  voice  of  fame  to  be  a  mere  weather-cock,  unstable  as 
water  and  fleeting  as  a  shadow.  Yet  I  have  pride  ;  I  know 
I  have  a  large  portion  of  it. 

I  very  fortunately  received,  by  the  Apollo,  by  the  Juno, 
and  by  the  Minerva,  the  things  you  sent  me,  all  in  good 
order.  They  will  enable  me  to  do,  I  hope,  without  draw 
ing  upon  you,  provided  I  can  part  with  them  ;  but  money 
is  so  scarce  and  taxes  so  high  that  few  purchasers  are 
found.  Goods  will  not  double,  yet  they  are  better  than 
drawing  bills,  as  these  cannot  be  sold  but  with  a  large  dis 
count.  I  could  not  get  more  than  ninety  for  a  hundred 
dollars,  should  I  attempt  it. 

I  shall  inclose  an  invoice  to  the  house  of  Ingraham  and 
26 


402  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December. 

Bromfield,  and  one  to  De  Neufville.  There  is  nothing 
from  Bilbao  that  can  be  imported  to  advantage.  Handker 
chiefs  are  sold  here  at  seven  dollars  and  a  half  per  dozen. 
There  are  some  articles  which  would  be  advantageous  from 
Holland,  but  goods  there  run  high,  and  the  retailing  ven- 
dues,  which  are  tolerated  here,  ruin  the  shopkeepers.  The 
articles  put  up  by  the  American  house  were  better  in  quality 
for  the  price  than  those  by  the  house  of  De  Neufville. 
Small  articles  have  the  best  profit ;  gauze,  ribbons,  feathers, 
and  flowers,  to  make  the  ladies  gay,  have  the  best  advance. 
There  are  some  articles,  which  come  from  India,  I  should 
suppose  would  be  lower-priced  than  many  others,  —  Ben 
gals,  nankeens,  Persian  silk,  and  bandanna  handkerchiefs  ; 
but  the  house  of  Bromfield  know  best  what  articles  will 
suit  here.  I  have  been  fortunate  and  unfortunate.  The 
things  which  came  with  Jones  remain  at  Philadelphia  yet. 
Our  friends  here  are  all  well.  Your  mother  is  in  rather 
better  health,  and  my  father  is  yet  sprightly.  Believe  me, 
with  more  affection  than  words  can  express,  ever,  ever 
yours,  PORTIA. 

276.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Amsterdam,  18  December,  1781. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  letters  from  Mr.  Dana 
and  his  young  attendant l  at  St.  Petersburg.  Both  well 
and  in  good  spirits.  Letters  to  Mrs.  Dana  and  to  you  go 
by  Captain  Trowbridge  and  by  Dr.  Dexter.  I  have  no 
certain  news  as  yet  of  Charles's  sailing  from  Bilbao,  but  I 
presume  he  is  sailed.  You  will  have  suffered  great  anxiety 
on  his  account,  but  I  pray  he  may  arrive  safe.  I  acted  for 
the  best  when  I  consented  he  should  go  with  Gillon,  little 
expecting  that  he  would  be  landed  in  Spain  again.  Keep 
him  to  his  studies,  and  send  him  to  college,  where  I  wish 
his  brother  John  was. 

My  health  is  feeble,  but  better  than  it  was.  I  am  busy 
enough,  yet  not  to  much  perceptible  purpose  as  yet.  There 
is  no  prospect  at  all  of  peace.  Let  our  people  take  care 
of  their  trade  and  privateers  next  year.  They  have  not 

1  His  son  J.  Q.  Adams. 


1781.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  403 

much  of  a  land  war  to  fear.  General  Washington  has 
struck  the  most  sublime  stroke  of  all  in  that  article  of  the 
capitulation  which  reserves  the  Tories  for  trial  by  their 
peers.  This  has  struck  Toryism  dumb  and  dead.  I  expect 
that  all  the  rancor  of  the  refugees  will  be  poured  out  upon 
Cornwallis  for  it.  Our  enemies  now  really  stand  in  a 
ridiculous  light.  They  feel  it,  but  cannot  take  the  resolu 
tion  to  be  wise.  The  Romans  never  saw  but  one  Caudine 
Forks  in  their  whole  history.  Americans  have  shown  the 
Britons  two  in  one  war.  But  they  must  do  more.  Re 
member,  you  never  will  have  peace  while  the  Britons 
have  a  company  of  soldiers  at  liberty  within  the  United 
States.  New  York  must  be  taken,  or  you  will  never  have 
peace.  All  in  good  time. 

The  British  army  estimates  are  the  same  as  last  year. 
The  navy  less  by  several  ships  of  the  line.  What  can 
these  people  hope  for  ?  I  fancy  the  southern  States  will 
hold  their  heads  very  high.  They  have  a  right.  They 
will  scarcely  be  overrun  again,  I  believe,  even  ins  the 
hasty  manner  of  Cornwallis.  Burgoyne  don't  seem  to  be 
affronted  that  his  nose  is  out  of  joint.  He  is  in  good 
spirits.  Experience  has  convinced  him,  so  I  hope  it  has 
Cornwallis,  that  the  American  war  is  impracticable.  The 
flower,  the  choice  of  the  British  army  was  with  him. 
The  King  of  England  consoles  his  people  under  all  their 
disgraces,  disasters,  and  dismal  prospects,  by  telling  them 
that  they  are  brave  and  free.  It  is  a  pity  for  him  that  he 
did  not  allow  the  Americans  to  be  so  seven  years  ago. 
But  the  great  designs  of  Providence  must  be  accom 
plished.  Great  indeed !  The  progress  of  society  will  be 
accelerated  by  centuries  by  this  Revolution.  The  Em 
peror  of  Germany  is  adopting,  as  fast  as  he  can,  American 
ideas  of  toleration  and  religious  liberty,  and  it  will  become 
the  fashionable  system  of  all  Europe  very  soon.  Light 
spreads  from  the  dayspring  in  the  west,  and  may  it  shine 
more  and  more  until  the  perfect  day  !  Duty  to  parents. 
Love  to  brothers,  sisters,  and  children.  It  is  not  in  the 
power  of  words  to  express  the  tenderness  with  which  I 
bid  you  farewell. 


404  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [September, 

277.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Hague,  Jl  August,  1782. 

ALL  well ;  you  will  send  these  papers  to  some  printer 
when  you  have  done  with  them. 

We  have  found  that  the  only  way  of  guarding  against 
fevers  is  to  ride.  We  accordingly  mount  our  horses  every 
day.  But  the  weather  through  the  whole  spring  and  most 
of  the  summer  has  been  very  dull,  damp,  cold,  very  dis 
agreeable  and  dangerous.  But  shaking  on  horseback 
guards  pretty  well  against  it. 

I  am  going  to  dinner  with  a  Duke  and  a  Duchess  and 
a  number  of  Ambassadors  and  Senators  in  all  the  luxury 
of  this  luxurious  world  ;  but  how  much  more  luxurious 
it  would  be  to  me  to  dine  upon  roast  beef  with  Parson 
Smith,  Dr.  Tufts,  or  Norton  Quincy !  or  upon  rusticoat 
potatoes  with  Portia  !  Ah !  Oh !  hi,  ho,  hum,  and  her 
daughter  and  sons  ! 

278.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Hague,  17  September,  1782. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  transmitted  money  to 
the  young  men  whom  you  mentioned  to  me,  and  have  ex 
pected,  every  day  for  a  long  time,  to  hear  of  their  sailing 
in  a  cartel  for  America.  They  have  been  better  treated 
since  the  change  of  ministers.  My  respects  to  their  par 
ents. 

It  is  now  five  months  since  my  public  reception  here, 
but  we  have  not  yet  learned  that  any  news  of  it  has  ar 
rived  in  America.  The  refugees  in  England  are  at  their 
old  game  again.  Andrew  Sparhawk  has  published,  in  the 
"  Morning  Post,"  that  his  brother  has  received  a  letter  from 
New  York,  that  Massachusetts  and  several  other  Stakes 
were  upon  the  point  of  overturning  the  new  government, 
throwing  off  the  authority  of  Congress,  and  returning  to 
the  government  of  Great  Britain.  Their  blood-thirsty 
souls  are  not  yet  satiated.  They  are  laboring  to  bring  on 
again  an  offensive  war.  But  I  think  they  can't  succeed. 
I  suppose  the  unhappy  affair  of  the  county  of  Hampshire 
is  the  thing  that  gave  occasion  to  this  representation.  Our 


1782.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  405 

countrymen  must  be  very  unreasonable  if  they  can't  be 
easy  and  happy  under  the  government  they  have.  I  don't 
know  where  they  will  find  a  better,  or  how  they  will  make 
one.  I  dread  the  consequences  of  the  differences  between 
chiefs.  If  Massachusetts  gets  into  parties,  they  will  worry 
one  another  very  rudely.  But  I  rely  on  the  honesty  and 
sobriety  as  well  as  good  sense  of  the  people.  These  quali 
ties  will  overawe  the  passions  of  individuals  and  preserve 
a  steady  administration  of  the  laws. 

My  duty  to  my  mother  and  to  your  father.  I  hope  to 
see  them  again.  Love  to  the  children  and  all  friends. 
What  shall  I  say  of  my  brother  Cranch  ?  I  long,  and  yet 
I  dread,  to  hear  from  him. 

I  hope  to  sign  the  Treaty  this  week  or  next,  or  the  week 
after.  All  points  are  agreed  on  and  nothing  remains  but 
to  transcribe  the  copies  fair.  This  government  is  so  com 
plicated  that  months  are  consumed  in  doing  what  might  be 
done  in  another  in  an  hour. 

I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  the  list  of  articles  you 
send  me.  It  would  be  better  for  you  to  write  to  Ingraham 
and  Bromfield.  I  will  pay. 

279.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

25  October,  1782. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  The  family  are  all  retired  to 
rest ;  the  busy  scenes  of  the  day  are  over ;  a  day  which  I 
wished  to  have  devoted  in  a  particular  manner  to  my 
dearest  friend  ;  but  company  falling  in  prevented  it,  nor 
could  I  claim  a  moment  until  this  silent  watch  of  the  night. 

Look  (is  there  a  dearer  name  than  friend?  Think  of 
it  for  me),  look  to  the  date  of  this  letter,  and  tell  me  what 
ure  the  thoughts  which  arise  in  your  mind.  Do  you  not 
recollect  that  eighteen  years  have  run  their  circuit  since 
we  pledged  our  mutual  faith  to  each  other,  and  the  hymen 
eal  torch  was  lighted  at  the  altar  of  Love?  Yet,  yet  it 
burns  with  nnabating  fervor.  Old  Ocean  has  not  quenched 
it,  nor  old  Time  smothered  it  in  this  bosom.  It  cheers  me 
in  the  lonely  hour ;  it  comforts  me  even  in  the  gloom  which 
sometimes  possesses  my  mind. 


406  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [October, 

It  is,  my  friend,  from  the  remembrance  of  the  joys  I  have 
lost,  that  the  arrow  of  affliction  is  pointed.  I  recollect  the 
untitled  man  to  whom  I  gave  my  heart,  and  in  the  agony  of 
recollection,  when  time  and  distance  present  themselves  to 
gether,  wish  he  had  never  been  any  other.  Who  shall  give 
me  back  time  ?  Who  shall  compensate  to  me  those  years 
I  cannot  recall?  How  dearly  have  I  paid  for  a  titled  hus 
band  !  Should  I  wish  you  less  wise,  that  I  might  enjoy 
more  happiness  ?  I  cannot  find  that  in  my  heart.  Yet 
Providence  has  wisely  placed  the  real  blessings  of  life 
within  the  reach  of  moderate  abilities ;  and  he  who  is  wiser 
than  his  neighbor  sees  so  much  more  to  pity  and  lament, 
that  I  doubt  whether  the  balance  of  happiness  is  in  his 
scale. 

I  feel  a  disposition  to  quarrel  with  a  race  of  beings  who 
have  cut  me  off,  in  the  midst  of  my  days,  from  the  only 
society  I  delighted  in.  '*  Yet  no  man  liveth  for  himself," 
says  an  authority  I  will  not  dispute.  Let  me  draw  satisfac 
tion  from  this  source,  and,  instead  of  murmuring  and  repin 
ing  at  my  lot,  consider  it  in  a  more  pleasing  view.  Let  me 
suppose  that  the  same  gracious  "Being  who  first  smiled 
upon  our  union,  and  blessed  us  in  each  other,  endowed  my 
friend  with  powers  and  talents  for  the  benefit  of  mankind, 
and  gave  him  a  willing  mind  to  improve  them  for  the  ser 
vice  of  his  country.  You  have  obtained  honor  and  reputa 
tion  at  home  and  abroad.  Oh,  may  not  an  inglorious  peace 
wither  the  laurels  you  have  won ! 

I  wrote  you  by  Captain  Grinnell.  The  Firebrand  is  in 
great  haste  to  return,  and  I  fear  will  not  give  me  time  to 
say  half  I  wish.  I  want  you  to  say  many  more  things  to 
me  than  you  do ;  but  you  write  so  wise,  so  like  a  minister 
of  state.  I  know  your  embarrassments.  Thus  again  I  pay 
for  titles.  Life  takes  its  complexion  from  inferior  things. 
It  is  little  attentions  and  assiduities  that  sweeten  the  bitter 
draught  and  smooth  the  rugged  road. 

I  have  repeatedly  expressed  my  desire  to  make  a  part  of 
your  family.  But  "  Will  you  come  and  see  me  ?  "  cannot 
be  taken  in  that  serious  light  I  should  choose  to  consider 
an  invitation  from  those  I  love.  I  do  not  doubt  but  that 


1782.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  407 

you  would  be  glad  to  see  me,  but  I  know  you  are  appre 
hensive  of  dangers  and  fatigues.  I  know  your  situation 
may  be  unsettled,  and  it  may  be  more  permanent  than  I 
wish  it.  Only  think  bow  the  words,  "  three,  four,  and  five 
years'  absence,"  sound !  They  sink  into  my  heart  with  a 
weight  I  cannot  express.  Do  you  look  like  the  miniature 
you  sent  ?  I  cannot  think  so.  But  you  have  a  better  like 
ness,  I  am  told.  Is  that  designed  for  me  ?  Gracious 
Heaven  !  restore  to  me  the  original,  and  I  care  not  who 
has  the  shadow. 

We  are  hoping  for  the  fall  of  Gibraltar,  because  we 
imagine  that  will  facilitate  the  peace ;  and  who  is  not  weary 
of  the  war  ?  The  French  fleet  still  remain  with  us,  and 
the  British  cruisers  insult  them.  More  American  vessels 
have  been  captured  since  they  have  lain  here  than  for  a 
year  before  ;  the  General  Greene  is  taken  and  carried  into 
Halifax,  by  which,  I  suppose,  I  have  lost  some  small  bun 
dles  or  packages.  Beals  told  me  that  you  gave  him  seven 
small  packages,  which  he  delivered  Captain  Bacon  for  me. 
The  prisoners  have  all  arrived,  except  Savil,  who  is  yet  in 
France.  I  mentioned  to  you  before,  that  some  of  them  had 
been  with  me,  and  offered  to  repay  the  money  with  which 
you  supplied  them.  I  could  only  tell  them  that  I  had  never 
received  a  line  from  you  concerning  the  matter,  and  that  I 
chose  first  to  hear  from  you.  I  would  not  receive  a  farthing, 
unless  I  had  your  express  direction,  and  your  handwriting 
to  prove,  that  what  you  had  done  was  from  your  private 
purse,  which  I  was  confident  was  the  case,  or  you  would 
have  been  as  ready  to  have  relieved  others,  if  you  had  any 
public  funds  for  that  purpose,  as  those  which  belonged  to 
this  town.  I  found  a  story  prevailing  that  what  you  had 
done  was  at  the  public  expense.  This  took  its  rise  either 
from  ignorance  or  ingratitude ;  but  it  fully  determined  me 
to  receive  your  direction.  The  persons  who  have  been 
with  me  are  the  two  Clarks,  the  two  Beales,  and  Job  Field. 

Adieu,  my  dear  friend. 

Ever,  ever  vours,  PORTIA. 


408  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [November, 

280.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

13  November,  1782. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  lived  to  see  the  close  of 
the  third  year  of  our  separation.  This  is  a  melancholy  an 
niversary  to  me,  and  many  tender  scenes  arise  in  my  mind 
upon  the  recollection.  I  feel  unable  to  sustain  even  the 
idea  that  it  will  be  half  that  period  ere  we  meet  again. 
Life  is  too  short  to  have  the  dearest  of  its  enjoyments  cur 
tailed  ;  the  social  feelings  grow  callous  by  disuse,  and  lose 
that  pliancy  of  affection  which  sweetens  the  cup  of  life  as 
we  drink  it.  The  rational  pleasures  of  friendship  and  so 
ciety,  and  the  still  more  refined  sensations  of  which  delicate 
minds  only  are  susceptible,  like  the  tender  blossoms,  when 
the  rude  northern  blasts  assail  them,  shrink  within  and 
collect  themselves  together,  deprived  of  the  all-cheering  and 
beamy  influence  of  the  sun.  The  blossom  falls  and  the  fruit 
withers  and  decays ;  but  here  the  similitude  fails,  for, 
though  lost  for  the  present,  the  season  returns,  the  tree 
vegetates  anew,  and  the  blossom  again  puts  forth. 

But,  alas  !  with  me,  those  days  which  are  past  are  gone 
forever,  and  time  is  hastening  on  that  period  when  I  must 
fall  to  rise  no  more  until  mortality  shall  put  on  immortality, 
and  we  shall  meet  again,  pure  and  disembodied  spirits. 
Could  we  live  to  the  age  of  the  antediluvians,  we  might 
better  support  this  separation  ;  but,  when  threescore  years 
and  ten  circumscribe  the  life  of  man,  how  painful  is  the 
idea  that,  of  that  short  space,  only  a  few  years  of  social 
happiness  are  our  allotted  portion. 

Perhaps  I  make  you  unhappy.  No.  You  will  enter  with 
a  soothing  tenderness  into  my  feelings.  I  see  in  your  eyes 
the  emotions  of  your  heart,  and  hear  the  sigh  that  is  wafted 
across  the  Atlantic  to  the  bosom  of  Portia.  But  the  phi 
losopher  and  the  statesman  stifles  these  emotions,  and  re 
gains  a  firmness  which  arrests  my  pen  in  my  hand. 

25  November. 

I  last  evening  received  a  line  from  Boston  to  hasten  my 
letter  down  or  I  should  again  lose  an  opportunity  of  con 
veyance.  I  was  most  unfortunate  by  the  Firebrand's  sail- 


1782.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  409 

ing  and  leaving  all  my  letters  behind.  A  storm  prevented 
my  sending  on  the  day  appointed,  and  she  sailed  by  sun 
rise  the  next  morning.  Though  my  letters  were  in  town 
by  nine  o'clock,  they  missed.  I  know,  if  she  arrive,  how 
disappointed  you  will  feel. 

I  received  from  France  by  the  Alexander  yours,  bearing 
no  date,  but,  by  the  contents,  written  about  the  same  time 
with  those  I  received  by  Mr.  Guild.  Shall  I  return  the 
compliment,  and  tell  you  in  a  poetical  style,  — 

"  Should  at  my  feet  the  world's  great  master  fall, 
Himself,  his  world,  his  throne,  I  'd  scorn  them  all  "  ? 

No.  Give  me  the  man  I  love  ;  you  are  neither  of  an 
age  or  temper  to  be  allured  by  the  splendor  of  a  Court  or 
the  smiles  of  princesses.  I  never  suffered  an  uneasy  sen 
sation  on  that  account.  I  know  I  have  a  right  to  your 
whole  heart,  because  my  own  never  knew  another  lord  ; 
and  such  is  my  confidence  in  you,  that  if  you  were  not 
withheld  by  the  strongest  of  all  obligations,  those  of  a 
moral  nature,  your  honor  would  not  suffer  you  to  abuse 
my  confidence. 

But  whither  am  I  rambling  ?  We  have  not  anything 
in  the  political  way  worth  noticing.  The  fleet  of  our  allies 
still  remains  with  us. 

Who  is  there  left  that  will  sacrifice  as  others  have  done ; 
Portia,  I  think,  stands  alone,  alas,  in  more  senses  than  one. 
This  vessel  will  convey  to  you  the  packets  designed  for  the 
Firebrand.  I  hope,  unimportant  as  they  are,  they  will  not 
be  lost. 

Shall  I  close  here,  without  a  word  of  my  voyage  ?  I 
believe  it  is  best  to  wait  a  reply,  before  I  say  anything 
further.  Our  friends  desire  me  to  remember  them  to  you. 
Your  daughter,  your  image,  your  superscription,  desires  to 
be  affectionately  remembered  to  you.  Oh,  how  many  of 
the  sweet  domestic  joys  do  you  lose  by  this  separation  from 
your  family.  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  children 
thus  far  in  life  behaving  with  credit  and  honor.  God 
grant  the  pleasing  prospect  may  never  meet  with  an  alloy, 
and  return  to  me  the  dear  partner  of  my  early  years,  re 
warded  for  his  past  sacrifices  by  the  consciousness  of  hav- 


410  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December, 

ing  been  extensively  useful,  not  having  lived  to  himself 
alone ;  and  may  the  approving  voice  of  his  country  crown 
his  later  days  in  peaceful  retirement,  in  the  affectionate 
bosom  of  PORTIA. 

281.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Paris,  4  December,  1782. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  Your  proposal  of  coming  to 
Europe  has  long  and  tenderly  affected  me.  The  dangers 
and  inconveniences  are  such,  and  a  European  life  would  be 
so  disagreeable  to  you,  that  I  have  suffered  a  great  deal  of 
anxiety  in  reflecting  upon  it.  And  upon  the  whole,  I  think 
it  will  be  most  for  the  happiness  of  my  family,  and  most 
for  the  honor  of  our  country,  that  I  should  come  home.  I 
have,  therefore,  this  day  written  to  Congress  a  resignation 
of  all  my  employments,  and  as  soon  as  I  shall  receive  their 
acceptance  of  it,  I  will  embark  for  America,  which  will  be 
in  the  spring  or  beginning  of  summer.  Our  son  is  now  on 
his  journey  from  Petersburg,  through  Sweden,  Denmark, 
and  Germany,  and  if  it  please  God  he  come  safe,  he  shall 
come  with  me,  and  I  pray  we  may  all  meet  once  more, 
you  and  I  never  to  separate  again. 

Yours  most  tenderly,  J.  ADAMS. 

282.  ABIGAIL  ADAMS. 

23  December,  1782. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  I  have  omitted  writing  by  the 
last  opportunity  to  Holland,  because  I  had  but  small  faith 
in  the  designs  of  the  owners  or  passengers ;  and  I  had  just 
written  you  so  largely,  by  a  vessel  bound  to  France,  that  I 
had  nothing  new  to  say.  There  are  few  occurrences  in 
this  northern  climate,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  to  divert 
or  entertain  you  ;  and,  in  the  domestic  way,  should  I  draw 
you  the  picture  of  my  heart,  it  would  be  what  I  hope  you 
still  would  love,  though  it  contained  nothing  new.  The 
early  possession  you  obtained  there,  and  the  absolute  power 
you  have  ever  maintained  over  it,  leave  not  the  smallest 
space  unoccupied.  I  look  back  to  the  early  days  of  our 
acquaintance  and  friendship,  as  to  the  days  of  love  and  in- 


1782.]  ABIGAIL  ADAMS.  411 

nocence,  and  with  an  indescribable  pleasure  I  have  seen 
near  a  score  of  years  roll  over  our  heads,  with  an  affection 
heightened  and  improved  by  time ;  nor  have  the  dreary 
years  of  absence  in  the  smallest  degree  effaced  from  my 
mind  the  image  of  the  dear,  untitled  man  to  whom  I  gave 
my  heart.  I  cannot  sometimes  refrain  considering  the 
honors  with  which  he  is  invested  as  badges  of  my  unhappi- 
ness.  The  unbounded  confidence  I  have  in  your  attach 
ment  to  me  and  the  dear  pledges  of  our  affection  has 
soothed  the  solitary  hour,  and  rendered  your  absence  more 
supportable ;  for,  had  I  loved  you  with  the  same  affection, 
it  must  have  been  misery  to  have  doubted.  Yet  a  cruel 
world  too  often  injures  my  feelings  by  wondering  how  a 
person  possessed  of  domestic  attachments  can  sacrifice 
them  by  absenting  himself  for  years. 

"  If  you  had  known,"  said  a  person  to  me  the  other  day, 
"  that  Mr.  Adams  would  have  remained  so  long  abroad, 
would  you  have  consented  that  he  should  have  gone  ?  "  I 
recollected  myself  a  moment,  and  then  spoke  the  real  dic 
tates  of  my  heart :  "  If  I  had  known,  sir,  that  Mr.  Adams 
could  have  effected  what  he  has  done,  I  would  not  only 
have  submitted  to  the  absence  I  have  endured,  painful  as  it 
has  been,  but  I  would  not  have  opposed  it,  even  though 
three  years  more  should  be  added  to  the  number  (which 
Heaven  avert !)  I  feel  a  pleasure  in  being  able  to  sacri 
fice  my  selfish  passions  to  the  general  good,  and  in  imitat 
ing  the  example  which  has  taught  me  to  consider  myself 
and  family  but  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance,  when  com 
pared  with  the  great  community." 

It  is  now,  my  dear  friend,  a  long,  long  time  since  I  had 
a  line  from  you.  The  fate  of  Gibraltar  leads  me  to  fear 
that  a  peace  is  far  distant,  and  that  I  shall  not  see  you,  — 
God  only  knows  when.  I  shall  say  little  about  my  former 
request ;  not  that  my  desire  is  less,  but,  before  this  can 
reach  you,  't  is  probable  I  may  receive  your  opinion ;  if 
in  favor  of  my  coming  to  you,  I  shall  have  no  occasion 
to  urge  it  further ;  if  against  it,  I  would  not  embarrass 
you  by  again  requesting  it.  I  will  endeavor  to  sit  down 
and  consider  it  as  the  portion  allotted  me.  My  dear  sons 


412  FAMILIAR  LETTERS.  [December. 

are  well.  Their  application  and  improvement  go  hand  in 
hand.  Our  friends  all  desire  to  be  remembered.  The 
fleet  of  our  allies  expects  to  sail  daily,  but  where  destined 
we  know  not.  A  great  harmony  has  subsisted  between 
them  and  the  Americans  ever  since  their  residence  here. 
This  letter  is  to  go  by  the  Iris,  which  sails  with  the  fleet. 
I  hope  it  will  reach  you  in  safety. 

Adieu,  my  dear  friend.  Why  is  it  that  I  hear  so  sel 
dom  from  my  dear  John  ?  But  one  letter  have  I  ever  re 
ceived  from  him  since  he  arrived  in  Petersburg.  I  wrote 
him  by  the  last  opportunity.  Ever  remember  me,  as  I  do 
you,  with  all  the  tenderness  which  it  is  possible  for  one 
object  to  feel  for  another,  which  no  time  can  obliterate,  no 
distance  alter,  but  which  is  always  the  same  in  the  bosom  of 

PORTIA. 

283.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Paris,  28  December,  1782. 

I  DARE  say  there  is  not  a  lady  in  America  treated  with 
a  more  curious  dish  of  politics  than  is  contained  in  the  in 
closed  papers.  You  may  show  them  to  discreet  friends, 
but  by  no  means  let  them  go  out  of  your  hands  or  be 
copied.  Preserve  them  in  safety  against  accidents. 

I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  another  campaign  ;  but  do 
not  despair,  however,  of  a  peace  this  winter.  America 
has  nothing  to  do  but  to  be  temperate,  patient,  and  faith 
ful  to  her  ally.  This  is  as  clearly  her  duty  as  it  is  her  in 
terest.  She  could  not  trust  England  if  her  honor  was  not 
engaged  to  France,  which  it  is  most  certainly ;  and  when 
this  is  said,  all  is  said.  Whether  there  should  be  peace  or 
war,  I  shall  come  home  in  the  summer.  As  soon  as  I 
shall  receive  from  Congress  their  acceptance  of  the  resig 
nation  of  all  my  employments,  which  I  have  transmitted 
many  ways,  I  shall  embark,  and  you  may  depend  upon  a 
good  domestic  husband  for  the  remainder  of  my  life,  if  it 
is  the  will  of  Heaven  that  I  should  once  more  meet  you. 
My  promises  are  not  lightly  made  with  anybody.  I  have 
never  broken  one  made  to  you,  and  I  will  not  begin  at  this 
time  of  life. 


1783.]  JOHN  ADAMS.  413 

My  children,  I  hope,  will  once  at  length  discover  that 
they  have  a  father  who  is  not  unmindful  of  their  welfare. 
They  have  had  too  much  reason  to  think  themselves  for 
gotten,  although  I  know  that  an  anxiety  for  their  happi 
ness  has  corroded  me  every  day  of  my  life. 

With  a  tenderness  which  words  cannot  express,  I  am 
theirs  and  yours  forever. 

284.  JOHN  ADAMS. 

Paris,  18  February,  1783. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,  —  The  peace,1  which  sets  the 
rest  of  the  world  at  ease,  increases,  I  think,  my  perplexi 
ties  and  anxiety.  I  have  written  to  Congress  a  resigna 
tion,  but  I  foresee  there  will  not  be  a  speedy  decision  upon 
it,  and  I  shall  be  left  in  a  state  of  suspense  that  will  be 
intolerable.  Foreseeing  this,  I  am  determined  not  to  wait 
for  an  acceptance  of  my  resignation,  but  to  come  home 
without  it,  provided  it  does  not  arrive  in  a  reasonable  time. 
Don't  think,  therefore  of  coming  to  Europe.  If  you  do, 
we  shall  cross  each  other,  and  I  shall  arrive  in  America 
about  the  same  time  that  you  may  arrive  in  Europe. 

I  shall  certainly  return  home  in  the  spring.  With  or 
without  leave,  resignation  accepted  or  not,  home  I  will 
come,  so  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  wait  to  receive  your 
old  friend  J.  ADAMS. 

1  The  preliminary  articles  between  the  three  parties,  Great  Britain,  France, 
and  the  United  States,  were  signed  at  Paris  on  the  28th  of  January,  1783. 
Hence  this  may  be  considered  as  the  close  of  the  great  struggle  of  the  Revolu 
tion. 


INDEX. 


ACT,  limiting  prices,  239,  243,  262, 
307. 

Act,  Tender,  repeal  of,  390. 

Adams,  Abigail.     Illness  of,  1.    Ap 
prehensions  of  war,  25,  xviii.  Read 

*"-  Rollin's  Ancient  History,  25.  Visit 
to  Colonel  Quincy's,  34.  Visit  to 
her  brother,  41.  Visit  to  Boston 
Garrison,  41.  Opinion  of  slavery, 
-  41.  Portia,  assumed  name  of,  5*3. 
Hospitality  to  soldiers,  57.  Her 
house  in  Boston  deserted,  63. 
Impressions  of  Generals  Wash 
ington  and  Lee,  79.  Illness  of 
friends,  94.  Her  own  illness,  95. 
Death  of  her  mother,  102.  Loss 
of  relatives,  106.  Dines  at  Major 
Mifflin's  with  Generals  Gates  and  j 
Lee,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  Dr. 
McHenry,  etc.,  128.  Describes 
events  preceding  the  evacuation  j 
of  Boston,  137-141.  Appojuoted 
on  Ladies'  Committee,  1637  Vis™ 
its  Rbxbury,  180.  Visit  to  Plym 
outh,  185.  Goes  on  board  the  brig 
Defence,  186.  Visits  Boston  with 
her  family  to  be  inoculated  for 
the  small-pox,  200.  _JEteflectio»s- 
on  Declaration  of  Independence, 
201.  Visit  to  Mrs.  Samuel  Adams, 
225.  Entertains  judges  of  the 
Superior  Court,  227.  Brother  of, 
sails  in  the  Darter,  269.  Success 
in  farming,  272.  Fears  another 
invasion,  274.  Disapproves  re 
taliatory  spirit  towards  the  enemy, 
275.  Removes  from  Boston,  287. 
Visits  Boston  on  occasion  of  Bur- 
goyne's  surrender,  321.  Anniver 
sary  of  her  marriage,  322,  xxi. 
Letters  to  her  son,  John  Quincy 
Adams,  334,  395.  Entertains 
French  officers,  342.  Dines  on 
board  French  frigate,  342.  Ill 
health  of  her  father,  384.  Ap 
plied  to  in  behalf  of  prisoners,  400. 
Receives  goods  from  Paris,  401. 
Joins  her  husband  in  Europe, 


xxiii.  Life  at  Court,  xxiv.  Re 
turns  to  America,  xxv.  Letter  on 
occasion  of  her  husband's  election 
to  the  Presidency,  xxvi.  Declin 
ing  years,  xxviii.  Death  of  her 
daughter,  xxix.  Obsequies,  xxix. 
Letters  desired  for  publication, 
xxxi. 

Adams,  John.  Indisposition  of,  1. 
Habits  of  daily  exercise,  1.  Com 
pares  his  own  success  with  that  of 
friends,  3.  Chosen  delegate  to 
Philadelphia,  5,  xvii.  Indepen 
dent  of  party  contest,  7.  Visit  to 
Wells,  10.  Arrival  at  Falmouth, 
11.  Engaged  in  the  case  of  Rich 
ard  King,  of  Scarborough,  19. 
Dines  with  Mr.  Collector  Waldo, 
20.  Despondency,  21.  Starts  for 
Philadelphia,  23^  xvi.  Thoughts 
of,  on  the  education  of  his  chil 
dren,  28.  Attends  meeting  of 
Dr.  Allison,  46.  Visits  Roman 
chapel,  46.  Leaves  Philadelphia, 
47.  Leaves  home  on  his  second 
mission  to  Congress,  50,  xvii. 
Reception  at  New  York,  54.  Ac 
cident,  55.  Ill  state  of  eyes,  58. 
Difficult  labors,  61.  Letters  inter 
cepted  by  the  British,  85.  Ap 
pointment  as  chief  justice,  93. 
Arrival  in  Philadelphia,  99.  Ill 
ness  of  his  family,  100,  xix. 
Present  crisis  foreseen,  105.  Death 
of  his  wife's  mother,  108.  One  of 
committee  to  collect  account  of 
hostilities,  etc.,  110.  Visit  to  Col 
onel  Mitliin's,  dines  with  Indian 
sachems,  131.  Starts  on  third 
mission  to  Congress,  131.  Arri 
val  in  Philadelphia,  132.  Injuri 
ous  stories  concerning,  136.  Let 
ter  written  entitled  "  Thoughts  on 
Government,"  158.  Urges  fortifi 
cation  of  Boston  Harbor,  167,  172. 
Offers  resolve  in  Congress  for 
adoption  of  independent  govern 
ment,  174.  Appointed  on  com- 


416 


INDEX. 


mittee  thereon,  174.  Desires  to 
move  his  family  to  Philadelphia 
175.  Appointment  as  President 
of  Board  of  War  and  Ordnance 
189.  Prophecies  of  the  anniver 
sary  of  American  Independence, 
193".  Health  affected  by  attention 
to  business,  200.  Urges  sending 
troops  from  Massachusetts,  203. 
Requests  leave  of  absence,  209. 
Suggests  Gribelin's  Hercules  as 
device  for  government  seal,  211. 
Desires  to  resign  the  office  of 
chief  justice,  215.  Report  that 
he  is  poisoned,  222.  Chosen  on 
committee  to  confer  with  Lord 
Howe,  223.  Rumor  of  his  death, 
225.  Returns  home,  233.  Sets 
out  for  Baltimore,  233.  Accepts 
hospitality  of  Dr.  Sprague,  233. 
Incidents  of  journey,  234-237. 
Route  followed,  234.  Resigns  his 
office  of  chief  justice,  244.  Ap 
proves  of  annual  election  of  Gen 
eral  officers,  248.  Observations 
upon  the  conduct  of  Lord  Howe 
and  his  brother,  258.  Visits  Mrs. 
Wells's  exhibition  of  wax-work, 

271.  Troubled  with  severe  cold, 

272.  Maintains  the  duty  of  for 
giveness    of    enemies,    279.    His 
"  Thoughts  on  Government,"  fac 
tious  use  made  of,  280.     His  part 
in  establishing  the  American  navy, 
282.       Letter     to     John     Quincy 
Adams,  284.     Exhorts  New  Eng- 
landers  to  exertion,  289.     Antici 
pations  of  Howe's  invasion,  291. 
His  admiration  of  South  Carolina, 
292.     His  views  on  the  advance  of 
Howe  upon  Philadelphia.  297-302. 
His  meanness  of  living,  304.     Im 
patience    for    action,    304.       His 
views  on  the  result  of  a  battle, 
305.     Precarious  state  of  private 
affairs,  310.     Does  not  mourn  the 
loss  of  Philadelphia,  315.     Arrival 
in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  325.     En 
gaged   in    admiralty  cause,    326. 
Is  commissioned  to  go  to  France, 
326,    xxi.      Departs   for    France, 
326,  xxi.     Arrival  at  Passy,  329. 
First  impressions  of  France,  329. 
Sends  goods  to  his  wife,  333,  344. 
Condemns  luxury,  334.     News  of 
arrival,  brought  in  a  prize.   337. 
Letters  destroyed  by  Capt.  Welch, 
338.      Good  'health,    345.      Wit 
nesses  illumination  at  Paris,  349. 


Complains  of  neglect  of  Con 
gress,  356.  Announces  intention 
of  returning  to  America,  359. 
Visits  St.  Denis  and  Montmartre, 
360.  Leaves  Paris,  363.  By  in 
vitation  of  the  King  takes  passage 
in  the  Sensible,  364.  Reaches 
home,  367.  Again  ordered  abroad, 
367.  Vessel  springs  a  leak,  370. 
Lands  in  Spain,  370.  Travels  by 
land  to  Paris,  370.  Dines  with 
Lieutenant-general  Don  Joseph 
Saint  Vincent,  370.  With  French 
officers,  371.  Studies  Spanish, 
372.  Arrival  at  Corunna,  372. 
Visits  the  governors  of  the  prov 
ince  and  town,  373.  Arrives  at 
Bilbao,  373.  Hardships  of  the 
journey,  374.  Arrival  in  Paris, 
374.  The  Prince  of  Hesse  Cassel, 

374.  Expenses  of  journey,  etc., 

375.  Visit  to  Abbe's  Chalut  and 
Arnoux    with   his   children,    376. 
Visit  to  the   Jardin  du   Roi,  379. 
Visits  the  Palais  Royal,  Tuileries, 
etc.,  381.     Exorbitant  expense  of 
living,   382.     Arrival  in  Amster 
dam,  386.     Sends  his  sons  to  Ley- 
den,  388.    Illness,  396.    Transmits 
money  for  release  of  crew  of  the 
Essex.  404.    Sends  his  resignation 
to  Congress,  410.    Appointed  min 
ister  to  England,  xxiii.    Is  joined 
by  Mrs.  Adams,  xxiii.     Return  to 
America,    xxv.      Becomes   Vice- 
President,  xxv.     President  of  the 
United  States,  xxv. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  placed  under 
tutors,  35.  Letters  of  49,  128. 
Accompanies  his  father  to  France, 
327.  Returns  home,  364.  Again 
visits  Europe,  367.  Enters  Uni 
versity  of  Leyden,  388.  Residence 
at,  St.  Petersburg,  397. 

Adams,  Charles,  son  of  John  Ad 
ams,  accompanies  his  father  to 
the  Hague,  367,  370.  Enters  acad 
emy  in  Paris,  374;  Leyden  Uni 
versity,  388.  Health  of,  396.  Re 
turn  to  America,  399. 

Adams,  Elihu,  notice  of,  94. 

Adams,  Nabby,  daughter  of  John 
Adams,  27/40,  100,  128.  Illness 
of,  163. 

Adams,  Samuel,  5,  28,  208,  315, 
xv.,  xviii. 

Adams,  Mrs.  Samuel,  31,  89,  222. 
225. 


INDEX 


417 


Adams,  Thomas  B.,  son  of  John  Ad 
ams.  Illness  of,  95,  100,  397. 

Admiralty  Cause,  326. 

Allen,  Mr.  371. 

Allison,  Francis,  DD.,  notice  of,  46, 
238. 

Alliance,  Frigate,  340,  356.  362,  376, 
379,  387. 

Alliance,  Triple,  of  France,  Spain, 
and  America,  372. 

Angier,  Qakes,  24,  36,  183. 

Archives,  American,  30. 

Arms,  and  Ordnance,  arrival  of,  at 
Portsmouth,  268.  The  King's, 
taken  from  Boston  State  House, 
204 

Army,  Continental,  Committee 
for  continuing,  113.  At  Crown 
Point,  wretched  condition  of,  195. 
Marches  through  Philadelphia, 
298,  323,  393. 

Army,  Howe's,  landing  of,  299.  Ad 
vance  of,  307,  314.  Occupies 
Philadelphia,  320. 

Army,  regular,  plan  for  forming, 
228. 

Arnold,  Benedict,  General,  276,  294, 
391. 

Assembly,  Colonial,  at  Hartford,  50. 

Baltimore,  City  of,  description  of, 
237.  Congress  assembles  in,  238. 

Barrell,  William,  77,  217. 

Batterv,  floating,  assault  on  Boston 
by,  112. 

Bays,  Chesapeake  and  Delaware, 
description  of,  295. 

Bennington,  battle  of,  295. 

Bergen,  Point,  232. 

Bernard,  Governor,  383. 

Bethlehem,  Penn.,  manufactories  at, 
240.  Description  of  town,  240. 

Biddle,  Edward,  Speaker,  illness  of, 
84. 

Biddle,  Nicholas,  Captain,  Prizes 
taken  by,  315. 

Bilbao,  373. 

Boston,  city  of,  rumored  bombard 
ment  of,  31.  Fortifications  in,  33. 
Melancholv  condition  of,  51,  54, 
112.  Fire ,"57.  Martial  law  estab 
lished,  80,  112.  Evacuation  of, 
141,  149,  356.  Small-pox,  227. 
Troops  dismissed,  254.  Invasion 
feared,  287. 

Boston  Harbor,  fortifications  of,  171. 

Boston,  Frigate,  Mr.  Adams  sails  in, 
326.  Reported  taken,  336,  338. 

Bounties.  229.  333. 

27 


Bowdoin,  James,  5,  204. 
Boylston,  Thomas,  286. 
Brackett,  Dr.  Joshua,  325. 
Bradbury,  Theophilus,  notice  of,  3. 
Braintree,  town  of,  political  meeting 

in,  30,  41, 179.    Seizure  of  powder, 

34.     Mortality  in,  95,  xix. 
Brandywine,  battle  of,  312. 
Brattle,  William,    Colonel,  plot  of, 

29.     His  flight,  29. 
Brigantine,    French,    arrival   of,    at 

Philadelphia,  208. 
British,  the  cruelties  of,  266. 
British  soldiers,  abuses  of,  13,  87. 
Bullock,     Archibald,    Governor    of 

Georgia,  198. 

Bunker's  Hill,  battle  of,  67,  71,  142. 
Burgoyne,   John,  General,  87,   157, 

299/311.    Surrender  of,  319,  321. 

325,  xxii. 

Burne,  the  barber,  164,  264. 
Byles,  Mather,  Dr.,  anecdote  of,  218. 

Campbell,  Colonel,  245. 

Canada,  Continental  troops  in,  189. 

Cannonade,  by  American  troops,  oa 
Boston,  137. 

Cannon,  destruction  of,  at  Boston, 
156. 

Carlisle,  Lord,  arrival  of,  in  England, 
352. 

Carroll,  Charles,  commissioner  to 
Canada,  135. 

Carroll,  John,  accompanies  com 
mittee  to  Canada,  135. 

Cathcart,  Captain  of  Privateer  Es 
sex,  400,  escape  of,  401. 

Chaplains,  appointed  by  Congress, 
320. 

Charlestown,  seizure  of  powder  at, 
33.  Burning  of,  67.  People  of, 
petition  Congress,  273. 

Chelsea,  battle  at,  62,  69. 

Chesapeake  Bav,  Howe's  fleet  en 
ter,  294. 

Church,  Benjamin,  Dr.,  59,  62,  78, 
108,  113,  117. 

Church,  Dutch,  at  Easton,  236. 

Clergy,  of  Massachusetts,  their  pow 
er,  nc. 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  87.  Proclama 
tion  of,  391. 

Coffee  and  sugar  secreted  by  mer 
chants,  286. 

College,  Harvard,  neglected  state  of, 
212,  x. 

College,  Nassau  Hall,  visit  of  J.  A. 
to,  26. 

Colonies,  raising  of  troops  by,   51 


418 


INDEX. 


Separation  from  Great  Britain, 
173.  Independence  of  declared, 
191. 

Colonies,  Southern,  132.  198. 

Commissioners  to  Congress,  143, 
154,  158. 

Committee  of  Congress,  to  Hart 
ford,  50.  To  Canada,  135,  139.  Of 
Safety,  62,  111.  Of  Ladies,  163. 

Committee  chosen  to  wait  on  Lord 
Howe,  223. 

"Common  Sense,"  Pamphlet  en 
titled,  134.  Comments  on,  146. 
See  Paine. 

Confederation,  plan  of,  320. 

Congress,  assembles  at  Philadel 
phia,  31,  xvii.  Opening  of,  37,  39. 

j  Adjourns,  47.  Members  enter  the 
army,  59.  Appoints  George  Wash 
ington  to  be  Commancler-in-Chief, 
•^  65.  Address  of,  88.  Meeting  of, 

VN  99,    xvii.      Passes    resolution    of 

k  Independence,  173.  Meets  at  Bal 
timore.  239.  Removes  to  Philadel 
phia,  249.  Instructions  to  Gen 
eral  Washington,  255.  Prosperity 
of,  281.  Financial  measures,  293. 
Removal  to  Yorktown,  314,  320. 
Appoints  a  day  of  Thanksgiving, 
322.  Chooses  Minister  to  France. 
356,  366. 

Congress,  Suffolk  County  resolves, 

QQ 

oo. 

Congress,  Provincial,  assembled  at 
New  York,  51. 

Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  369, 
378. 

Convention,  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
231. 

Cooper,  Dr.  Mvles,  flight  of,  notice 
of,  51. 

Cooper.  Dr.  Samuel,  37,  151.  348. 

Corn,  Enormous  price  of,  365,  388. 

Cornwallis,  Lord,  at  Brunswick, 
236.  Arrival  of,  in  England,  352. 

Corunna,  Arrival  of  Mr.  Adams  at, 
372. 

Councillors  nominated  by  manda 
mus,  32,  54. 

Courts,  people  prevent  the  sitting  of, 
36. 

Court,  assembled  in  Boston,  227. 

Court,  General  Committee  of,  160. 
Of  Sessions,  160. 

Cranch,  Richard,  43,  69,  48,  213, 
394,  xiv. 

Cranch,  William,  xiv. 

Curiosities,  American,  sent  to  Eng 
lish  ladies,  272. 


Currency,  Continental,   counterfeit, 

278.      Depreciation  of,  343,  366. 

Rejection  of,  394. 
Currency,   Hampshire,    counterfeit, 

269. 
Gushing,  Thomas,  Speaker,  delegate 

to  Congress,  28. 
Gushing,   William,  Judge,  delegate 

to  Congress,  5.    Visit  of,  to  Mrs. 

Adams,  171. 

Dana,  Francis,  144,  367,  371,  397. 
Danbury,  engagement  at,  269,  280. 
Deane,  Silas,  111.  Address,  354,  362. 
Defence,  Brig,  186,  187. 
Delaware  River,  battle  in,  172. 
Delaware,  Frigate,  257. 
Delegates,    reception    of,    in    New 

York,  54. 
Denis,  St.,  visit  of  Mr.  Adams  to, 

360. 
Denmark,  Court  of,  prizes  restored 

to  England  by,  379. 
D'Enville,    Duchesse,    Mr.    Adams 

dines  with,  353. 

D'Enville,     Due,    expedition    com 
manded  by,  353. 
Derby,  Capf.  John,  88. 
Deserters,  arrival  of,  91. 
D'Estaing,    Comte,   his    fleet,    337. 

Arrives  in  Boston,  342.      Failure 

of   his   expedition  against  Rhode 

Island,      345.       Entertains      Mr. 

Adams,  376. 

Devices  for  Medal  and  Seal,  210. 
Dickinson,    John,  author   of    "  The 

Farmer,"  11,  45,  59,  84,  133,  256. 
Dilly,  Edward,  notice  of,  59. 
Documents,  Congressional,  removal 

of,  314. 

Donop,  Count,  322. 
Dorchester  Heights,  American  troopj 

get  possession  of,  138. 
Drafting,  for  Continental  army,  230. 
Duch6,  Rev.  Mr.,  37,  320. 
Duffield,    Rev.    Mr.,    65,    90     298, 

320. 

Education,  Female,  339,  x.. 

Elections,  favorableto  American 
cause,  45. 

Elk  River,  Howe's  army  lands  at, 
299. 

Enemy,  efforts  of,  to  sever  commu 
nications  between  colonies,  226, 
229.  In  possession  of  New  York, 
229.  Barbarities,  247.  Mysterious 
movements  of,  281,  282.  Advan 
tages  gained  by,  366. 


INDEX. 


419 


England,  emissaries  of,  in  France, 
346. 

Enlistment,  term  of,  expiration  of, 
232. 

Essays  of  J.  A.  on  Canon  and  Feu 
dal  Law,  xvi.  Novanglus,  xvi. 

Essex,  Privateer,  capture  of,  400. 
Crew  of,  sent  to  Plymouth  jail, 
400. 

Estimates,  British  army,  403. 

Exchange  of  prisoners  offered,  245. 

Expedition,  private,  to  Newport,  315, 

Expenses  of  living  in  Paris,  382. 
Expresses,  stopped  by  Tories,  269. 

Falmouth,  ancient  name  of  Port 
land,  Me.,  14.  The  British  de 
mand  neutrality  of,  resistance  of, 
cannonade  of,  115. 

"Farmer,  The,"  see  J.  Dickinson. 

Farrington,  Colonel,  270. 

Fast,  day  of,  at  Philadelphia,  84. 
Government  appoints,  238. 

Fell's  Point,  fortifications  at,  243. 

Ferrol,  Mr.  Adams  lands  at,  370. 
Description  of,  370. 

Fevers,  prevalence  of,  at  the  Hague, 
404. 

Fine,  for  refusing  draft,  230. 

Fleet,  enemy's,  in  Boston  harbor, 
142,  378.  'Arrival  of,  at  Halifax, 
distress  of,  162.  Driven  out  of 
Boston  harbor,  186.  Arrival  of,  at 
New  York,  194.  Seen  off  Cape 
Delaware,  289.  Off  Chesapeake 
Bay,  294.  Arrives  at  head  of 
Chesapeake  Bay,  295.  Byron's 
and  D'Estaing's,  337.  Of  'allies, 
arrival  of,  384.  British  powerful, 
collected  on  American  coast,  387, 
xxi. 

Fleets,  French  and  Spanish,  capture 
sixty  vessels,  386. 

Fort  Hill,  fortifying  of,  156. 

France,  dispatches  from,  to  Congress, 
260.  Mr.  Adams  appointed  Min 
ister  to,  326.  Treaty  with,  337. 

Franklin,  Dr.  Benjamin,  return  of, 
from  England,  56.  Attends  Con 
gress,  83.  Chosen  on  committee 
for  army,  113.  On  Canada  com 
mittee,  135.  Device  for  govern 
ment  seal,  210,  211.  Portrait  of, 
216.  On  committee  to  confer 
with  Lord  Howe,  223.  Arrival  in 
France,  245.  Rumor  of  his  assas- 
sination,  327,  346,  354,  356. 
\Friends,  Society  of,  306. 


Frigates,  French,  arrival  of,  263. 
Continental,  wind-bound,  269. 

Fuel,  scarcity  of,  in  Boston,  112. 

Gage,  Thomas,  General,  arrives  in 
Boston,  13th  May,  1,  19,  48. 
Offers  to  send  away  the  poor  of 
Boston,  86,  xviii. 

Gardoqui  and  Sons,  Messrs.,  trans 
mit  goods  to  Mrs.  Adams.  374, 
375. 

Gates,  Horatio,  General,  sent  to  New 
England,  289,  311,  314,  320,  323. 

Generals,  foreign,  employment  of, 
286.  Removal  of,  289. 

George's  Island,  enemv  fortifying, 
172 

Georgia,  movements  against,  362. 

Germans,  their  vindictiveness,  267. 

Germany,  threatened  with  war, 
337. 

Gerry,  Elbridge,  132.  Returns  to 
Bo'ston,  202. 

Gibraltar,  372. 

Gillon,  Alexander,  399. 

Goods,  West  India,  scarcity  of,  82. 
Foreign,  high  prices  of,  220. 

Gordon,  Dr.,  348. 

Gordon,  Lord  George,  committed  to 
the  Tower,  383. 

Gorharn,  Nathaniel,  agent  to  Con 
gress,  from  Charlestown,  273. 

Grain,  scarcity  of,  in  New  England. 
362. 

Grand  Madame,  341. 

Grape  Island,  attack  upon  persons 
engaged  at,  56,  69. 

Great  Britain,  malicious  policv  of, 
345. 

Greene,  Nathanael,  Colonel,  repulses 
the  enemy,  322.  His  bravery,  323. 

Griffin,  killed  at  attack  on  Light 
house,  92.  Death  and  burial  of, 
92. 

Guard,  Coast,  expedition  of  to  Nan- 
tasket  Light,  86. 

Guild,  Mr.,  400. 

Gunpowder,  seizure  of,  at  Charles- 
town,  29.  At  Braintree,  34. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  314. 

Hancock,  John,  President  of  Con 
gress,  58,  88,  367,  xviii. 

Hancock,  Mrs.  John,  presentation  of 
colors  to,  121. 

Haskins,  imprisonment  and  escape 
of,  111-12. 

Hazelwood,  John,  Commodore,  320. 

Head  of  Elk,  enemy  in  possession 
of,  301. 


420 


INDEX. 


Hemmenway.  Rev.  Moses,  visit  of 
J.  A.  to,  8,  10. 

Henle\r,  Thomas,  Major,  death  of, 
232. 

Henry,  Patrick,  198. 

Hesse  Cassel,  Prince  of,  374. 

Hessians,  283. 

Hewes,  Hon.  Joseph,  282. 

Hichborn,  Benjamin,  escape  of,  115. 

Hill,  Dorchester,  American  troops 
gain  possession  of,  138. 

Hill,  Nook's,  engagement  at,  140. 
Prospect,  92. 

Holland,  common  schools  in,  388. 

Hopkins,  Admiral  Ezekiel,  com 
mands  fleet  off  Rhode  Island,  152, 
166. 

Hopkinson,  Francis,  216. 

Hospital,  small-pox,  to  be  estab 
lished  in  Boston,  187. 

Hospitals,  system  of  officers  for, 
257. 

House  of  J.  A.  in  Boston,  occupied 
by  British,  149. 

Houston,  John,  Georgia  delegate,  99. 

Howe,  Sir  William,  supersedes  Gage, 
107.  Releases  prisoners,  107,  115, 
142.  March  through  the  Jerseys, 
234.  Prepares  to  attack  New  York, 
294.  Advances  on  Philadelphia, 
296,  323. 

Howe,  Richard,  Lord,  Letter  and 
proclamation  of,  203.  Desires  con 
ference  with  members  of  Con 
gress,  223. 

Howes,  the  two  brothers,  rise  and 
reputation  of,  258. 

Hutchinson,  Foster,  notice  of,  17. 

Hutchinson,  Thomas,  Governor,  on 
Salem  as  the  seat  of  government, 
opinion  of,  8.  Departure  of,  for 
Engand,  19.  Letters  of,  discovered, 
52.  Death  of,  382-83,  xv.,  xvi. 

Huston,  Mrs.,  anecdote  of,  18. 

Independence,  declaration  of,  reso 
lution  of,  passed  in  Congress,  191, 
202.  Read  from  pulpits  in  New 
England,  212,  xxiv. 

L  land,  Long,  expedition  to,  success 
ful  ;  cattle  captured,  80. 

Island,  Staten,  inhabitants  of,  receive 
the  enemy,  199. 

Izard,  Ralph,  354.    Return  of,  376. 

Jardin  du  Roi,  visit  of  Mr.  Adams 
to,  379.  Description  of,  379. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  proposes  device 
for  government  seal,  211. 


Johnson,  family  of,  292. 
Johnson,  Sir  John,  294. 
Johnson,  Thomas,  Governor,  296. 
Joice,    Junior,    carts  tories  out  of 

Boston,  262. 

Jurors,  refusal  of,  to  serve,  165. 
Justice,  Chief,  appointment  of  J.  A. 

to  office  of,  93.    Jealousy  caused 

by,  215. 

King,  the,  prayed  for  in  the  Boston 
church,  230. 

King  and  Queen  of  France,  popular 
ity  of,  350. 

King,  Richard,  of  Scarborough, 
cause  of,  notice  of,  20. 

King's  Bench  Prison,  burned  by 
niob,  382. 

Knowlton,  Colonel,  killed  in  battle, 
232. 

Labor,  price  of,  in  New  England, 
365. 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  return  of,  398. 

Lagoanere,  M.,  374. 

Landais,  Peter,  Captain,  387. 

Lanyuedoc,  French  frigate,  342. 

Lauren?,  Henrv,  292.  Appointment 
of,  370. 

Laurens,  John,  Colonel,  390. 

Lee,  General,  letter  of,  87.  Ap 
pointment  of,  78,  133.  Action  at 
Sullivan's  Island,  203.  A  pris 
oner,  245. 

Lee,  Arthur,  354,  356,  376. 

Lead,  scarcity  of,  in  Boston,  220. 

Lechmere's  Point,  skirmish  at,  124. 

Legation,  Secretary  of,  Francis 
Dana  appointed,  3*67. 

Leger,  St.,  304. 

Letters,  of  J.  A.  intercepted,  98,  116, 
146.  Caution  to  be  used  in  trans 
mission  of,  103,  108.  Loss  of,  348, 
380. 

Letter-writing,  as  mental  exercise, 
xiii. 

Lighthouse,  burning  of,  at  Nan- 
tasket,  86.  Second  attack  on,  92. 

Lincoln,  Benjamin,  General,  248, 
295,  390. 

Liquors,  excise  on,  recommended, 
129. 

London,  mobs  in,  382. 

Long  Island,  defeat  on,  panic  caused 
by,  223. 

Lovell,  James,  74,  80,  112,  157,  308, 
375. 

Lowell,  John,  splendid  house  of,  in 
Newburyport.  Notice  of,  4. 


INDEX. 


421 


Manly,  Captain,  capture  of  English 
schooner  by,  151,  157. 

Mansfield,  Lord,  house  of,  burned  by 
mob,  38-2. 

Maria,  Theresa  Charlotte,  Princess, 
illumination  in  honor  of,  349. 

Martin,  Joseph,  Governor  of  North 
Carolina,  50. 

Maryland,  State  of,  excellent  farms 
in,  238.  Passes  law  for  enlistment 
of  servants  and  apprentices,  257. 

Massachusetts,  Province  of,  terrible 
sickness  prevails  throughout,  95, 
102.  Soldiers  of,  ill-conduct  of, 
232.  Constitution  of,  369. 

Men-of-war,  lying  in  Boston  Har 
bor,  180. 

Men-of-war,  blown  up,  322. 

Merchant  vessels,  chased  by  men-of- 
war,  270.  Capture  of,  347. 

Mercury,  ship,  arrival  of,  with  mil- 
itarv  stores,  from  France,  253. 

Mifflin,  Fort,  defence  of,  320,  322. 

MifHin,  Thomas,  Major,  45,  59,  70. 

Mifflin,  Mrs.,  45. 

Miles,  Colonel,  283. 

Militia,  in  arms,  54,  138.  March  to 
defense  of  New  York,  199,  232. 

Militia,  Jersey,  233.  Of  Virginia, 
Maryland,  etc.,  296,  300. 

Mission,  American,  to  France,  346. 

Mob,  female,  seize  coffee,  and  chas 
tise  a  merchant  of  Boston,  286. 

Mobs,  in  Boston  and  elsewhere,  15, 
19.  The  Gordon,  in  London,  382. 

Molasses,  made  from  cornstalks,  313. 

Molesworth,  James,  a  spy,  his  exe 
cution,  252. 

Money   market,   state   of,   361,   388. 

Montgomery,  Richard,  General,  ora 
tion  in  memory  of,  132,  143. 

Montresor's  Island,  skirmish  at,  232. 

Moody,  Rev.  Samuel,  minister  of 
York,  Me.  Notice  of,  5. 

Moravians,  settlement  of,  at  Bethle 
hem,  Penn.,  236.  Description  of, 
241. 

Morris,  ship,  falls  into  the  hands  of 
the  British,  260. 

Morton,  Joseph.  Mr.,  funeral  ora 
tion  on  Gen.  Warren,  delivered 
by,  151. 

Mugford,  Captain,  captures  prize, 
is  killed  in  naval  engagement, 
180. 

Nancy,  brig,  capture  of,  129. 
Nantasket,  dismissal  of  troops  at, 
254. 


Narrows,  the,  fort  at,  243. 

Nash,  Francis,  General,  299. 

Negroes,  conspiracy  of  in  Boston, 
41. 

New  England,  120,  265. 

New  Englanders,  207.  Inaction  of, 
245. 

New  York,  City  of,  arms  and  am 
munition  seized  by  people  of,  50. 
Appoints  Provincial  Congress,  51. 

New  York,  ports  of,  closed,  51. 

New  York,  troops  collecting  at,  at 
tack  on  expected,  194,  205,  260. 

Niles,  Captain,  344. 

Noailles,  Comte  de,  returns  to 
France,  398. 

Non-consumption  agreement,  12. 

Nook's  Hill,  engagement  at,  140. 

Norton,  Rev.  John,  ix. 

Officers,  248,  276,  305. 

Officers,  French,  visit  of  to  Boston, 

342. 
Offices,    public,    unfaithfulness    in, 

228. 
Oliver,  Andrew,  Chief  Justice,  24, 

29. 

Paine,  Eunice,  notice  of,  36. 

Paine,  R.  T.  delegate  to  Philadel 
phia,  5. 

Paine,  Thomas,  author  of  "  Common 
Sense"  and  "The  Forester," 
167. 

Palmer,  Joseph,  43,  81. 

Paper,  high  price  of,  362. 

Parliament,  act  of,  to  enable  pris 
oners  to  be  sent  to  England,  268. 

Partv  spirit,  American,  in  France, 
35*4. 

Paulus  Hook,  232. 

Peabody,  Rev.  Mr.,  xiv. 

Peace,  no  hopes  of,  396. 

Peace,  treaty  of,  agreed  upon,  405. 
Preliminary  articles  of  signed, 
413,  xxiii. 

Peale,  Mr.,  215,  216. 

Pennsylvania,  divided  state  of  po 
litical  opinion  in,  231.  Constitu 
tion  of,  opposition  to,  280.  Ger 
man  inhabitants  of,  their  torpor 
and  awkwardness,  323. 

Philadelphia,  meeting  of  Congress 
at,  5,  39.  Removal  of  inhabi 
tants  from,  249.  Rumors  of 
Howe's  advance  on,  268,  291. 
Lethargic  stale  of,  280.  Descrip 
tion  of  country  around,  278. 

Pins,  scarcity  of,  82. 


422 


INDEX. 


Plot,  a,  to  conduct  the  British  fleet 
up  the  Delaware  River,  252. 

Politics,  American,  extraordinary 
state  of  in  France,  356. 

Portia,  assumed  name  of  A.  A.,  53. 

Ports,  of  New  York,  51.  Of  Phila 
delphia,  153.  Southern,  precau 
tions  for  defense  of,  147. 

Potter's  Field,  two  thousand  soldiers 
buried  in,  259. 

Powder,  arrival  of  from  South  Car 
olina,  etc.,  90. 

Precious  stones,  Duke  of  Orleans' 
collection  of,  380. 

Press,  the,  necessity  of  regulating, 

Prevost,  General,  362. 

Prices,  high,  182.  Congress  legis 
lates  upon,  240,' 261. 

Prices  current,  301,  387. 

Prisoners,  of  Brig  Essex,  treatment 
of,  74.  Exchange  of,  257,  302. 

Privateers,  153,  220.  Success  of, 
270. 

Privateering,  act  of  Provincial  Con 
gress  authorizing,  124.  Rage  for, 
in  Boston,  230. 

Prizes,  two  taken  in  Massachusetts 
Bay,  170,  175. 

Proclamation  for  Independence  read 
and  proclaimed  in  Boston,  204. 

Produce,  West  India,  High  prices 
of,  130. 

Prospect  Hill,  92. 

Provinces,  United,  Alliance  with, 
393. 

Provisions,  scarcity  of  in  Boston, 
79. 

Purviance,  Mr.,  dinner  party  at 
house  of,  248. 

Putnam,  Israel,  General,  233. 

Quakers,  armed  in  Philadelphia,  60, 
314. 

Quincy,  Elizabeth,  mother  of  A.  A., 
ix. 

Quincy,  John,  ix.,  xii. 

Quincy,  Col.  Josiah,  34. 

Quincy,  Josiah,  Jr.,  accompanies 
J.  A.  to  Falmouth,  10.  Departs 
for  Europe,  49.  Death  of,  50.  Me 
moir  of,  53. 

Quincy,  Mrs.  Josiah,  visit  of  A.  A., 
to,  53. 

Quincy,  Norton,  notice  of,  27,  117. 

Quincy,  Samuel,  notice  of,  10,  11, 
21,  154. 

Randolph,  Peyton,  37,  88. 


Red  Bank,  engagement  at,  322. 
Refugees,  in  England,  mischievous 

writings  of,  404. 

Rents,  House,  low  rates  of  in  Bos 
ton,  220. 
Representatives,   delay  in    election 

of,  in  Pennsylvania,'  231. 
Resolves,  Suffolk,  by  whom  passed, 

33. 
Revolution,  The,   memorials  of.   v. 

Influence  of  private  individuals  in 

forming,  vi.  Female  influence,  vii. 
Rhode  Island,  234,  261,  345. 
Rice,  Nathan,  24,  35,  52. 
Richardson,  Ebenezer,  engaged  in  a 

mob  in  Boston,  15. 
Richmond,  Duke  of,  332. 
Riviere,  Monsieur,  342. 
Roberdeau,  General  Daniel,  174.  Mr. 

Adams  lodges  at  house  of,  315. 
Rousseau,  J.  J.,  349. 
Russell,  Mr.,  bearer  of  petition  from 

Charlestown  to  Congress,  273. 
Rutledge,  John,  Governor  of  South 

Carolina,  198,  223. 

Sachems,  Indian,  visit  of,  to  Cam 
bridge,  131. 

Salt,  made  by  women  and  children, 
301. 

Saltpetre,  private  manufacture  of, 
150. 

Sapling,  Simple,  80. 

Saratoga,  Blockade  of.  Drama  writ 
ten  bv  Burgovne,  321. 

Sartine;  M.  de/347. 

Savannah,  Siege  of.  370. 

Saville,  Sir  George,  destruction  of 
his  house  bv  mob,  382. 

Sayward,  Dr.",  5,  9. 

Schuyler,  General  Philip,  295. 

Sensible,  Frigate,  Mr.  Adams  em 
barks  in,  364,  367.  Springs  aleak, 
370. 

Service,  Postal,  279. 

Sewall,  David,  notice  of,  3, 

Shaw,  Rev.  John,  xiv. 

Shepard,  Rev.  Thomas,  ix.  Son  of, 
ix. 

Shipley,  Dr.  Jonathan,  Bishop  of 
St.  Asaph,  35. 

Ships,  merchant,  fleet  of,  arrival  of, 
from  England,  1. 

Ships,  merchant,  chased  by  men-of- 
war,  270. 

Sickness,  abatement  of,  in  Braintree, 
111. 

Simitiere,  M.  du,  designs  for  gov 
ernment.  Medal  and  seal,  210. 


INDEX. 


423 


Skene,  Major  Philip,  commissioned 
governor  of  Ticonderoga,  impris 
onment  of,  61. 

Sloops,  Eastern,  arrival  of,  in  Bos 
ton,  152. 

Small-pox,  prevalence  of,  in  Can 
ada,  189;  in  Boston,  204. 

Smith,  Abigail.  (See  Abigail  Ad 
ams.) 

Smith,  Elizabeth,  sister  of  A.  A., 
34,  113,  185,  xiv. 

Smith,  Dr.,  oration  of ,  132,  143,167. 

Smith,  Mary,  xiv. 

Smith,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  mother  of 
A.  A.,  illness  and  death  of,  102, 
114.  Reflections  of  J.  A.  on 
character,  118.  (See  Elizabeth 
Quincv. ) 

Smith,  Rev.  William,  father  of  A. 
A.,  102,  113,  ix.,  xiv. 

Snow,  capture  of,  with  cargo  of  West 
India  goods,  152. 

Snow-storm,  terrible  in  Massachu 
setts,  351. 

Snyder,  Christopher,  killed  in  riot 
in  Boston,  15. 

South  Carolina,  new  Constitution, 
174,  292. 

Spain,  journey  of  J.  A.,  through, 
373-4. 

Spaniards,  dress  and  manners  of, 
372. 

Specie,  scarcity  of.  130. 

Speech,  King's,  348. 

Spies,  252,  357. 

Sprague,  Dr.,  entertains  J.  A.  on 
his  journey  to  Congress,  233. 

Stark,  General  John,  295. 

Staten  Island,  conference  with  Lord 
Howe  at,  226. 

Stirling,  Alexander,  Lord,  taken 
prisoner  ^25. 

Storer,  Mr.,  393. 

Stores,  military,  capture  of,  129. 

Sugar,  large  quantities  of,  captured, 
208. 

Sullivan,  John,  General,  successful 
career  of,  2;  129,  223.  Taken 
prisoner,  225. 

Sussex,  county  of,  Tories  numerous 
in,  237. 

Taxes,  high  rate  of,  365,  388. 
Thanksgiving,  day  of,  appointed  by 

Congress,  322. 

Thaxter,  John,  24,  27,  35,  367. 
Thomas,  John,  General,  89,  184. 
Thornton,  Colonel,  246. 
Ticonderoga,  evacuation  of ,  285,292. 


Tillotson,  Dr.,  275,  318. 

Tories,  five,  driven  out  of  Boston, 

262,   283.    To  be  tried  by  their 

peers,  403. 

Transports,  arrival  of,  from  York.  80. 
Troops,   raising  of,   in   Connecticut 

and  Rhode   Island,   51.     Review 

of,  in  Philadelphia,  61,  65.  Delay 

in  equipment  of,  209.     Retreat  to 

Haerlem,  232. 
Trowbridge,  Edmund,  Judge,  notice 

of,  22. 

Tucker,  Samuel,  Captain,  326. 
Tufts,  Dr.  Cotton,  notice  of,  56,  77, 

93,  394. 
Tupper,  Benj.,  Major,  his   schemes 

for  setting    fire  to    the   enemy's 

fleet,  156. 
Tyng,  William,  notice  of,  22. 

Venality,  spirit  of,  dangerous  pre 
dominance  of,  232. 

Vinton,  sheriff,  29,  34. 

Virginia,  military  preparations  of, 
154. 

Waldo,  Francis,  collector,  notice  of. 
20. 

Ward,  Samuel,  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island,  death  of,  148. 

War  and  ordnance,  board  of,  estab 
lished,  189. 

War,  articles  of,  new  set  of,  228. 
Warren,  frigate,  captures  a  fleet, 
363. 

Warren,  Joseph,  General,  death  of, 
67.  Treatment  of  his  remains  by 
British,  91.  Removal  of,  to  Bos 
ton,  151. 

Warren,  James,  General,  of  Plym 
outh,  24,  49,  178. 

Warren,  Mercy,  notice  of,  25. 
Washington,  frigate,  257. 

Washington,  George,  59.  Appointed 
general-in-chief,  65.  Proceeds  to 
Boston,  70,  178.  Success  at  Stony 
Brook,  233,  236.  Advances  to 
meet  General  Howe,  296.  Sim 
plicity  of  his  life,  304.  Harangues 
the  army,  305,  398. 

Wax-work,  exhibition  of,  description 
of  Mrs.  Wells',  Dr.  Chovet's,  271. 

Welch,  Captain,  338. 

Weymouth,  alarm  in,  flight  of  in 
habitants,  56. 

Whipple,  General,  208,  325. 

Wibird,  Rev.  Anthony,  76,  89. 

Wine,  beer,  etc.,  scarcity  of,  277. 

Winthrop,  Mr.  Samuel,  8,  10. 


424 


INDEX. 


Winthrop,  John,  Professor,  death  of, 
366. 

Woedtke,  Baron  de,  made  Brigadier- 
general  in  American  Army,  144. 

Wollaston  Mt.,  326. 

Wooster,  David,  General,  loss  of,  269. 

Wright,  Mrs  ,  her  efforts  in  the 
American  cause,  271. 

Writs,  to  summon  juries,  29. 

Writs  of  Assistants  considered  to 
be  the  commencement  of  trouble 
with  Groat  Britain,  191,  xvi. 

Wrixon,  Major,  British  officer,  law 
yer,  144. 


er,  David,  not       of,  17. 
\     the,  George,  P     ,iber  of  Congress 
ironi  Virginia,      ).     One  of   com 
mittee  for  repo  .ing  on  damages, 
etc.,  111. 

Yorktown,  Congress  adjourns  to, 
314.  Description  of,  320. 

Zedwitz,  Herman,  scheme  of,  to 
poison  the  waters  of  New  York 
city,  225. 

Zubly,  Dr.  John  J.,  99.  Notice  of, 
101. 


. 

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